Kansas Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of 10-Year-Old Cousin

Carson Peters-Berger was sentenced on August 12, 2026, to life in prison with eligibility for extended supervision after 25 years, according to local12.com and wset.com, though townhall.com reported a sentence of 77 years.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 9:33 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 21, 2026, 4:45 p.m. ETWritten Aug 28, 2026, 9:52 a.m. ET

A Kansas teenager was on August 12, 2026, for the murder of his 10-year-old cousin on a hiking trail. Carson Peters-Berger received a sentence of , according to local12.com and wset.com. Townhall.com reported the sentence as . The government alleged that Peters-Berger intentionally lured the victim off the trail to sexually assault her, punched her, hit her head multiple times, and strangled her until he believed she was dead, then sexually assaulted her, according to local12.com. Wset.com reported the same allegations but omitted the second sexual assault. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas.

Earlier reports

Aug 27, 2026, 12:22 a.m. ET
Kansas Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography Offenses
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – David Mark Jones, 35, of Shawnee, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on August 12, 2026, for charges related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas.
Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Between February and March 2024, he distributed CSAM including images involving prepubescent minors under 12 years old, according to court documents.
In February 2023, Jones was convicted in Johnson County District Court of sexual exploitation of a child, and his sentence included lifetime post-release supervision and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
“This case is an example of why the sex offender registry is so needed,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Because there are people monitoring sex offenders and checking to see that they are compliant with the rules once they are released, Mr. Jones’ crimes were detected, and now Mr. Jones is going back to prison.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Aug 20, 2026, 9:33 a.m. ETFirst report
Kansas Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offenses
On August 12, 2026, 35-year-old David Mark Jones of Shawnee, Kansas, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on child pornography charges, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas. The case remains open as court proceedings progress.
According to court records, Jones pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Between February and March 2024, Jones distributed child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent minors under 12 years old. Jones was previously convicted in February 2023 in Johnson County District Court of sexual exploitation of a child, a sentence that included lifetime post-release supervision and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said, "This case is an example of why the sex offender registry is so needed. Because there are people monitoring sex offenders and checking to see that they are compliant with the rules once they are released, Mr. Jones’ crimes were detected, and now Mr. Jones is going back to prison." The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey McCormick as part of Project Safe Childhood.

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Version 127 Aug 2026, 04:22current
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Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:33current
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Version 128 Aug 2026, 13:52current
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