Sentencing delayed for man charged in theft of wedding ring from dying woman
Sentencing has been delayed for one of three men charged with stealing a wedding ring off a dying woman’s hand at a southeast Wichita Taco Bell late last year.
Quanique D. Thomas-Hameen, 20, is due before Sedgwick County District Court Judge Christopher Magana on Oct. 9 to hear his fate on one count of obstructing apprehension or prosecution and one count of misdemeanor theft stemming from the Dec. 29 robbery of 43-year-old Danielle Zimmerman as she suffered a fatal brain aneurysm in the drive-through of the Mexican fast-food restaurant, 3725 E. Harry.
Thomas-Hameen had been set for sentencing Thursday, but the date was postponed, according to district court records.
His co-defendants are scheduled for trial later this year on one count each of aggravated burglary, robbery and misdemeanor theft. According to court records, Keith B. Hickles Jr. is set to go before a jury Monday, but that date could be postponed. Daquantrius S. Johnson will be tried on Dec. 8.
Thomas-Hameen originally faced identical charges but pleaded guilty to lesser counts on July 21, court records show. He faces nine to 23 months in prison on the obstruction charge and up to 12 months of jail time for theft, under Kansas sentencing guidelines.
The men stand accused of forcefully removing Zimmerman’s wedding ring from her finger and of stealing her purse as she lay unconscious in her truck on the evening of Dec. 29. Police have said Zimmerman had gone to get dinner for herself, her husband, Kris, and two teenage sons when she suffered the aneurysm and crashed into the speaker box of the restaurant’s drive-through lane.
She died the next day.
At the men’s Feb. 13 preliminary hearing, a witness testified to helping one of them check the balances on credit cards and to seeing a woman’s driver’s license, all of which belonged to Zimmerman. Jessica Saenz also said she had received a threat from a person she knew only as “Trey,” warning her not to testify at the hearing.
Law enforcement arrested Thomas-Hameen, Hickles and Johnson after receiving a Crime Stoppers tip. Police recovered Zimmerman’s purse Dec. 30. But the location of the ring remains unknown.
Reach Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com. Follow her on Twitter: @amyreneeleiker.
This story was originally published September 4, 2014 at 6:08 AM with the headline "Sentencing delayed for man charged in theft of wedding ring from dying woman."