A Topeka man was formally charged Tuesday with second-degree murder and intimidation of a witness in a man’s stabbing death in downtown Lawrence.
The stabbing occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 30 near the breezeway between Seventh and Eighth on Massachusetts streets after “a bar brawl turned deadly,” according to Lawrence police.
Police found 20-year-old McMillin Tutu, of Kansas City, Missouri, lying on the sidewalk with multiple stab wounds. He was taken to an area hospital but he did not survive.
Officers arrested Keisonn Smith Jr., 25, that afternoon. He has remained in custody of the jail for unrelated cases since his arrest.
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Smith appeared before Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley via videoconference from the county jail to be formally charged on Wednesday.
Megan Ahsens, senior assistant district attorney, filed the complaint against Smith charging him with second-degree murder, which is a level-1, or high-severity, felony.
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The complaint also alleges that he attempted to prevent a witness “from attending or giving testimony at any civil or criminal trial, proceeding, or inquiry authorized by law.” He is charged with intimidation of a witness or victim as a Class B misdemeanor.
Hanley set Smith’s bond at $500,000, meaning Smith would likely have to pay a bond agency $50,000 to be released from jail while the case against him is pending.
Angelo Panas-Cabrera, lead assistant public defender, requested an own-recognizance bond for Smith, meaning that he would promise to return to court without paying money to be released from custody with pretrial monitoring.
Panas-Cabrera said that Smith had been working a construction job for the last 11 months and was set to start school at the Washburn Institute of Technology in January to become an electrician.
Smith also has a chronic disease, and Panas-Cabrera said “medication may be an issue in custody, which would be easier for him to get” with an OR bond.
Hanley denied the request for an OR bond, and granted Deputy District Attorney David Melton’s condition requests for the cash or surety bond. Hanley ordered Smith to have no contact with endorsed non-law enforcement witnesses, even if he remains in custody.
Additionally, if Smith makes bond, Hanley ordered him not to consume alcohol or illegal drugs or to possess firearms, and he would be placed on electronic monitoring.
Hanley appointed the public defender’s office to represent Smith.
His next status conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. He will appear before Douglas County District Court Judge Stacey Donovan.
Arrestees and defendants in criminal cases should be presumed not guilty unless they are convicted.
Tutu’s obituary said he “possessed an unmatched curiosity and passion for life.” He loved working out, traveling, learning and was an entrepreneur working on his first property flip.
“Whether on or off the basketball court or in the weight gym, he was a natural life coach who encouraged others, believed in their highest potential, and helped them recognize what was possible within themselves,” his obituary reads.
He is survived by his parents, multiple siblings, nieces and nephews, and more extended family and friends, according to the obituary.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
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