Kelson Bohnet

Kelson Bohnet is a career public defender. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2007 and earned his J.D. and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Denver in 2012. Currently, Kelson is a full-time public defender in the Death Penalty Defense Unit of the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services (BIDS). His entire practice focuses on representation of the accused in death penalty-eligible cases. Previously, he held this same role as a public defender for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. He began his career in public defense with the Denver Trial Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, where he represented indigent people accused of misdemeanors and felonies at the trial court level.

Kelson specializes in jury selection, motions writing, and sentencing advocacy. He trains other defense attorneys in those skills at the state and national level, and is also an adjunct faculty member at the KU School of Law. Kelson is also active in legislative and policy efforts related to criminal law. He is a member of the BIDS Legislative Committee and Co-Chair of the agency’s Jury Selection & Service Subcommittee. Kelson also is a Board Member of the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and has been involved in legislative efforts to repeal the death penalty in three states. He makes regular public and media appearances to educate the public about capital punishment, its application to individual people, and how it affects society as a whole.