Man sentenced in shooting death of semi-pro football player last summer

One of the men accused of killing a semi-pro football player last summer has been ordered to serve life plus 13 months in prison.

A jury convicted Ritchie D. Randle Jr. of Wichita in May of first-degree premeditated murder and criminal discharge of a firearm in the July 15, 2017, death of Timothy Golden. Golden, 19, was found lying face down on the kitchen floor of his apartment, 550 S. Laclede, after Randle and two other men, Dakahri Saunders and Larry Triplett, allegedly went there and fired more than a dozen rounds inside.

Golden was a tight end for the Kansas Cougars, a semi-pro football team based out of Wichita. The team dedicated its 2018 season to Golden after his death.

Sedgwick County District Judge Jeffrey Syrios sentenced Randle to the life term late last month, according to court records. He won’t be eligible for parole until he spends at least 50 years in prison. If he is granted parole, he’ll have to serve the additional 13 months in prison before he can be released.

Saunders and Triplett, the other men charged, are awaiting adjudication of their criminal cases. Saunders has a jury trial scheduled for October. He’s also facing first-degree murder in Golden’s death.

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 3:17 PM.