Michael Tejeda Pleads Guilty to 2nd-Degree Murder in 2025 Wichita Toddler Shooting
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 28
Michael Tejeda Pleads Guilty to 2nd-Degree Murder in 2025 Wichita Toddler Shooting
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 28
Michael Tejeda, 26, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment.
Feb. 28, 2025, prosecutors say Tejeda left a handgun within reach of his daughters in their Wichita home; his 3-year-old then fatally shot her 1-year-old sister.
Court records say Tejeda admitted he had fallen asleep, removed the gun from an unsecured prop holster, and set it on the living-room mantel before going to change clothes.
Under the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge; both sides are expected to seek a midrange Kansas-guidelines sentence with consecutive terms.
Sentencing is set for July 9 in Sedgwick County, closing a case centered on how an accessible firearm turned a brief lapse into a child's death.
With firearms now the leading killer of American youth, are safe storage laws enough to stop these preventable family tragedies?
What support exists for the young children who survive after pulling the trigger in an accidental family shooting?
When a parent's fatal negligence destroys their family, how does the justice system balance punishment with overwhelming grief?