WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Friday in the shooting deaths of a teenage Wichita couple whose bodies were found three days apart.
Dontenzie Kelly, 24, is scheduled to be sentenced next month after admitting to two counts of second-degree murder in the killings of 18-year-old Kaylah Blackmon and 17-year-old Michael Beasley.
Beasley’s body was found Feb. 1, 2021, outside an abandoned church. At the time, authorities said Blackmon might be in danger and launched a search. Her body later was found inside her SUV at a Wichita apartment complex.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating the murder of two Kansas teens have arrested of 22-year-old Dontenize Kelly of Wichita, according to Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsey.
On Tuesday, police alerted the public that 18-year-old Kayla Blackmon may be in danger and asked the public for help to find her SUV. Police found her 17-year-old boyfriend Michael Beasley deceased in the 1000 block of North Ash in Wichita on Monday.
As part of the the investigation police learned of Kelly's involvement and arrested him without incident Friday evening.
Both teens were victims of gunshot wounds and killed in Blackmon's Ford Escape, according to Wichita Police Sgt. Dan Hardy. Police have not recovered a weapon and have not determined a motive as they continue to investigate.
Kelly is being held on requested charges of capital murder and a probation violation, according to Ramsey. He has previous convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal possession of a weapon and for attempted aggravated robbery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
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