Topeka murderer, 37, receives sentence leaving him ineligible for parole until he's 85
A man convicted of a May 2021 Topeka murder was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, with no chance for parole until he's served 51 years, eight months.
Shawnee County District Judge Cheryl Rios imposed that sentence upon Jeremy F. Volle, who was convicted in March of crimes that included first-degree murder linked to the central Topeka killing of Aaron D. Shepherd.
Volle, who turned 37 on March 1, is to receive credit for time served in the Shawnee County Jail, where he's been an inmate since June 2021. He would first become parole-eligible in February 2073, one month shy of his 86th birthday.
How did police connect Jeremy Volle to the crime?
Shepherd, 49, died at a Topeka hospital after being shot just before 4:45 a.m. on May 27, 2021, on S.W 17th Street, just east of S.W. Buchanan, Topeka police said.
Shepherd was found lying in the roadway next to his vehicle. He was suffering from a gunshot wound, said Katie Garceran, public information officer for the office of District Attorney Mike Kagay.
Police obtained surveillance video taken in the area, which enabled them to determine Shepherd was shot by someone who was in a Chevrolet Trailblazer, she said.
"Additional investigation revealed that Jeremy Volle was the passenger in the Trailblazer and police subsequently came into possession of evidence that established his responsibility for committing the crime," Garceran said.
A jury in March convicted Volle after a five-day trial of one count each of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony, unintentional but reckless second-degree murder and the criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.
Who else was convicted in the case?
Volle became the second man convicted of crimes that included murder linked to Shepherd's death. The other was Brandon T.D. Croskey, 33, Topeka Capital-Journal archives show.
Croskey pleaded guilty in November 2022 in Shawnee County District Court to one count each of unintentional but reckless second-degree murder and the criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle with great bodily harm, court records show.
Croskey was sentenced April 23 to 20 years in prison on the murder conviction and four years, seven months — to be served at the same time — on the conviction for criminal discharge of a firearm, court records show.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Sentence means Topeka murderer's not eligible for parole until he's 85
