Woman charged with murder in Chautauqua shooting death

Brittany McDay – the woman police have identified as a suspect in the shooting death of a 66-year-old woman in her home earlier this month – was arrested Sunday in the Planeview neighborhood. On Monday afternoon, prosecutors charged her with first-degree felony murder.

McDay, 22, was arrested shortly after 4 p.m. and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail shortly before 8:15 p.m., records show. She was arrested without incident and booked following questioning, Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said.

McDay was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of Jacquelyn Harvey in her house in the 300 block of South Chautauqua, authorities have said. Harvey was found by her son on the morning of Sept. 16, when he took his son to her house near Kellogg and Hillside. She had planned to take her grandson to school, police have said.

McDay was charged Monday with first-degree murder, alternative counts of aggravated burglary and one count each of aggravated robbery, felony theft and criminal use of a financial card, records show. Dressed in a green jail jumpsuit, she held her head in her hands as Sedgwick County District Court Judge Joe Kisner advised her of the charges.

The charging document accuses McDay and another person of killing Harvey on Sept. 15 “while in the commission of, attempt to commit, of flight from, an inherently dangerous felony,” which was listed as aggravated burglary. The document says the pair broke into Harvey’s house, stole her purse and 1996 red Jeep Cherokee and threatened her with a shotgun.

McDay also is accused of trying to use Harvey’s debit card to buy more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart on or around Sept. 15.

McDay, who told the judge that she is unemployed, is being held in Sedgwick County Jail on $250,000 bond. She is due in court again on Oct. 14.

A second person, 21-year-old Jacob Strouse, was charged with first-degree felony murder and several other crimes on Wednesday in Sedgwick County District Court in connection with Harvey’s death. Strouse also faces charges of aggravated robbery, theft, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, aggravated weapons violation by a convicted felon and two counts of aggravated burglary.

His preliminary hearing has been set for Oct. 7. Strouse was arrested on Sept. 18 in south Wichita.

Both will be represented by court-appointed defense attorneys.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Woman charged with murder in Chautauqua shooting death."