KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man who was jailed in Lawrence, Kansas, for more than five years and released after charges were dropped has filed a lawsuit alleging he was deprived of his constitutional rights.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court Wednesday by Rontarus Washington, a 26-year-old man who now lives in Georgia.
Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister, former District Attorney Charles Branson and Douglas County are named as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges the three defendants “failed to fully and adequately investigate Rontarus’ case in a manner consistent with the search for truth.”
In November 2014, Justina Altamirano Mosso, 19, was found dead at an apartment in Lawrence.
Two months later, Washington was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary. Bond was set at $750,000; Washington remained jailed.
The criminal case dragged on for years. The lawsuit attributed some of the delays to Washington’s defense attorneys.
“At multiple points along the tortured path of Rontarus’ criminal case, he was assigned multiple attorneys, which caused numerous delays and continuances,” the lawsuit read.
It also said Washington has an intellectual disability that prevented him from fully understanding how several motions to continue the criminal case would affect his pre-trial detention.
At the 2019 trial, prosecutors alleged Washington entered his neighbor’s apartment to steal money and was caught by Altamirano Mosso. Washington’s defense team has said he had no motive for bludgeoning his neighbor to death and alleged that Mosso’s estranged husband was the real killer.
The jury could not reach a verdict.
Branson said he would pursue a re-trial.
A judge reduced bond to $500,000 in July 2020.
Washington, who is Black, received national attention and his case became a rallying cry for protesters in Lawrence calling for an end to racial injustices in the legal system. Supporters, who were also outraged at the length of time he had been incarcerated, raised the funds and he was released.
In December 2021, District Attorney Suzanne Valdez, who had ousted Branson in an election the previous year, announced charges against Washington were dismissed. Valdez said the case languished in the courts long enough to raise questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system itself, and that her conclusion was drawn after an extensive review of the case.
The lawsuit alleges Washington’s lengthy time in jail for a crime he did not commit resulted in the deprivation “of his rights and privileges secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
Washington is asking for damages in excess of $75,000 and attorney’s fees.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment.
Branson and Douglas County did not respond to requests seeking comment Thursday.
