Wichita man convicted of killing woman in her home while her toddler slept nearby

A Sedgwick County jury deliberated for just less than five hours Friday before convicting a Wichita man of sexually assaulting and killing a friend in 2015.

Marvin Lee Gray Jr., 28, showed no emotion as an assistant of District Judge Jeff Goering read the verdict: guilty of the first-degree premeditated murder and rape of 27-year-old Ciera Ray and of the aggravated burglary of her house at 2401 N. Green last June. He was acquitted of one count of aggravated criminal sodomy.

Prosecutors during a week-long trial presented evidence that Gray went to Ray’s home on early on June 25, sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed her 37 times in the abdomen while her toddler slept nearby. Gray then cleaned up the crime scene and threw away the evidence.

Ray’s boyfriend found her dead in a bathtub after coming home from an out-of-town business trip later that evening.

Although the case rested largely on circumstantial evidence, investigators found some of Gray’s blood at the crime scene. Gray testified Thursday that he suffered a nosebleed from snorting cocaine in Ray’s living room on June 24, 2015, after visiting her to talk about his plans to testify against former Wichita police officer Alex Robinson during his Colorado child sex crimes trial. Gray is an alleged victim of Robinson’s.

Gray also told jurors he and Ray had shopped and partied on June 24 then had consensual sex but claims she was alive when he left her house. Gray’s defense attorneys during the trial also tried to cast suspicion on other men who had contact with Ray before her death.

Gray’s sentencing will be set at a later date. He is facing life in prison on the murder conviction, plus the possibility of additional time for the rape and aggravated burglary.

This story was originally published December 16, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Wichita man convicted of killing woman in her home while her toddler slept nearby."