Cordell Marqueise Stewart, 22, Leavenworth, was sentenced to 117 months, or nearly 10 years. Judge Gerald Kuckelman determined that Stewart had the lowest criminal history with none or one misdemeanor, which is considered an I criminal history.

The Kansas Legislature did create the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines which the court is instructed to follow. Those guidelines determined the sentence due to Stewart’s history and the level of the conviction. During the sentencing, the father and sisters of Mr. Ross spoke asking for the maximum amount of time the judge would give for the death of their family member.

On March 24, 2022, Stewart entered the plea in Leavenworth County District Court. Stewart pled to shooting Ross at least twice.

The Leavenworth Police Department was able to retrieve video of Floyd from that evening, according to a release from Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

Video surveillance captured Ross and another individual – later determined to be Stewart — in the area of the 400 Block of Kiowa Street. The video captured muzzle flashes, Ross dropping to the ground and Stewart running east on Kiowa Street, the release said.

“There was no excuse for this death, not even the defendant’s own mental health,” Thompson said. “We only came to a resolution of this case with the permission of the family.”