Wamego man convicted of numerous crimes in Manhattan dies in Kansas prison

HUTCHINSON (KSNT) - An inmate serving time at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility for crimes committed in northeast Kansas died unexpectedly on Wednesday.

David Thompson with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) announced in a press release on Dec. 4 that Chancellor Copenhaver, 33, of Wamego is dead. He was found unresponsive in his cell on Wednesday morning with staff attempting life-saving measures before handing him over to emergency medical services.

Copenhaver's death is under investigation by both the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). It is protocol for any resident's death to be investigated.

Thompson said Copenhaver was serving a 121-month sentence after he was previously convicted of numerous crimes in Riley County, these included:

• Attempted second-degree murder.
• Attempted kidnapping.
• Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
• Aggravated battery.
• Aggravated burglary.
• Stalking.

Officers with the Riley County Police Department (RCPD) arrested Copenhaver in 2023 following a burglary call from an apartment building in the 1300 block of Flint Hills Pl. in Manhattan. Police reported that Copenhaver grabbed and forced a 20-year-old woman out of the apartment during a struggle with a 47-year-old man.

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