A Tennessee woman showed little emotion in court as a judge handed down a life sentence tied to the death of a Kansas police officer.
Andrea Rene Cothran, 35, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for her role in the August 2023 death of Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald, 29, according to FOX4.
Oswald, a father of two, was among the officers who responded after authorities received a report of a stolen vehicle in Johnson County, Kansas.
Cothran, who was behind the wheel of the vehicle, ultimately fled into a QuikTrip in Mission, a Kansas City suburb with fewer than 10,000 residents.
Police arrested her in the women’s restroom, while a second suspect from the vehicle, Shannon Marshall, was found in the men’s restroom.
As officers attempted to take Marshall into custody, he shot Oswald, KSHB reported. The officer died the following day.
Although Cothran did not pull the trigger, prosecutors said her conduct in the moments leading up to the shooting made her criminally responsible for Oswald’s death.
During sentencing, Judge Michael Joyce told Cothran she had “plenty of opportunities to stop” before the encounter turned deadly.
35–year–old Andrea Rene Cothran was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for her role in the murder of Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald in August 2023
Oswald, 29, was a Fairway Police Officer who was attempting to arrest Cothran and a second suspect, Shannon Marshall, after they had stolen a car in Johnson County, Kansas
Oswald, who had four years of experience with the police department, is survived by his wife, Hannah, as well as his two young children
The judge also said that Cothran’s behavior was ‘[hers] and [hers alone]’ until the fatal shooting, per the outlet.
Cothran had been found guilty in May of felony murder, battery of a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, theft and reckless driving.
She can become eligible for parole, but only after serving a minimum of 25 years. Her sentence is scheduled to be served in the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Under Kansas law, a person can be convicted of first–degree murder if someone dies during the commission of or flight from an inherently dangerous felony.
Lenexa police had initially responded to a report of a stolen car near Interstate 35 and 95th Street on August 6, 2023.
Law enforcement chased the car driven by Cothran up I–35 towards Mission until the two suspects crashed the car and rushed into the QuikTrip.
Officers from multiple agencies went inside the convenience store to arrest Cothran and the other suspect, Marshall, when chaos ensued.
Oswald, who had four years of experience with the police department, died the following day.
Meanwhile, Marshall was fatally shot at the scene.
Cothran had already been found guilty in May of felony murder. She will serve her sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections
Oswald, pictured with his wife, was not shot directly by Cothran, but Kansas law allows a person to be convicted of first-degree murder if someone dies during the commission of or flight from an inherently dangerous felony
Some of the evidence presented during Cothran’s murder trial included dash camera and surveillance camera footage.
Oswald’s body camera video from inside the Mission QuikTrip was also shown to the court.
The courtroom saw Cothran’s interrogation with Lenexa detectives, as well.
Chris McMullin, chief deputy district attorney in Johnson County, called Cothran’s sentencing ‘the end of a long journey.’
‘It’s been painful for a lot of people, a lot of work,’ McMullin said.
Fairway Police Chief J.P. Thurlo said that Oswald was an ‘amazing’ law enforcement officer through the day he was killed.
‘No verdict or sentencing can undo the pain of losing Ofc. Oswald, but we are grateful to see justice carried out through the judicial process,’ Thurlo said.
He continued: ‘There still remains deep loss within our department that we feel daily, and the community that we serve feels it as well.’
Thurlo added that ‘there’ll always be a scar’ when it came to Oswald’s murder.
Police chased Cothran and the other suspect in her car, Shannon Marshall, to this QuikTrip in Mission, Kansas
Oswald was shot by Marshall, who was found in the men’s bathroom of the QuikTrip. He died one day later
Oswald’s mother, Paula Oswald, said last week that it was ‘hard to believe’ three years had gone by since her son was killed.
“It’s amazing how time goes by,’ Paula told KSHB. ‘You think, how can I continue the rest of my life without my son? My only child.’
She recalled Oswald as a ‘little jokester’ who ‘didn’t like injustice’ and ‘liked to right any wrong he saw.’
Paula acknowledged that she had not attended the trial or ‘really ever thought about’ Cothran and Marshall.
‘I was more focused on Jonah, the family, how to handle the situation,’ she said. ‘How I wanted him to survive.’
Oswald is survived by his wife, Hannah, and his two young children.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Fairway police for further comment.
