Woman jailed in Harvey County triple slaying facing federal charges

A woman arrested in connection with a triple killing near Moundridge last fall is now facing charges in federal court.

Myrta M. Rangel, 31, was indicted Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas over allegations she gave a .40-caliber handgun to Jereme Nelson, who is charged with capital murder and first-degree murder in the Oct. 30 shooting deaths of 33-year-old Travis Street, 37-year-old Angela Graevs and Richard Prouty, 52.

The indictment charges Rangel with six criminal counts:

▪ Aiding and abetting possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

▪ Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

▪ Conspiracy to carry a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

▪ Transferring a firearm to be used in drug trafficking

▪ Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction

▪ Giving a firearm to a convicted felon

Rangel, who was captured in Mexico with Nelson more than two months after the slayings, initially was charged with capital murder and first-degree murder in Harvey County. But the county attorney there, David Yoder, earlier this month announced that those charges were being dismissed and criminal charges instead pursued in Sedgwick County.

The bodies of Street, Graevs and Prouty were found Oct. 30 outside a rural home on Spring Lake Road in rural Moundridge, where Street and Graevs lived with their 18-month-old son. Prouty was a friend of the couple’s.

The courts and law enforcement have released few details about what led to the shootings.

The presumptive sentences carried by each of the various counts Rangel faces range from five to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Yoder has said he plans to seek the death penalty against Nelson if he’s convicted of capital murder.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Woman jailed in Harvey County triple slaying facing federal charges."