Man charged in Wichita slashing death threw out knife on way home, affidavit says
A Pittsburg man charged with fatally slashing his sister’s ex-boyfriend’s neck earlier this month told authorities that he “didn’t mean to do it,” and “didn’t want to be on the run” when he turned himself in.
An affidavit released this week says 24-year-old Morgan Lee Prager admitted to detectives that he drove to Wichita on Jan. 11 to confront 19-year-old Vincent C. Venturella over “harassing messages” he and his family received — reportedly after Venturella received a favorable ruling in a Crawford County case involving a protective order filed by Prager’s sister.
Prager told police he went to Venturella’s home that day, knocked on the door and asked for Venturella by name when Venturella’s 11-year-old sister answered. Venturella’s 14-year-old brother also was home at the time.
Prager told police that when Venturella came to the door, Prager said: “I just want you to stop.”
Venturella, he said, “looked like he was offended” at the request. Prager said he pushed Venturella, and the men fell off the porch.
The affidavit says Prager told police that “at some point, which he does not remember, he pulled his knife out and cut Vincent on the neck.” Two other witnesses told police that Prager also punched Venturella, the affidavit says.
“Morgan said he injured his left knee and began walking back to his car. He looked down and observed his right hand covered in blood, and that the knife was in his hand.”
Prager told police that on the drive back to Pittsburg, he tossed out the knife — a black Kershaw-brand folding pocket knife with a serrated blade. He went to his sister’s house when he arrived in town, apologized and changed his pants then called police to turn himself in.
When Pittsburg police arrested him, Prager “made spontaneous statements” that the attack “happened so fast,” that he “didn’t mean to do it,” and that he “didn’t want to be on the run,” the affidavit says.
The affidavit says after the fight, Venturella stumbled back into his home “holding his neck and bleeding.” He told his 11-year-old sister to call 911 before he collapsed in the kitchen. Medics found him there with cuts to both of his jugular veins, cuts on his wrist and hands, and six puncture wounds to his back and side.
Venturella died at Wesley Medical Center on Jan. 13.
An uncle of Venturella’s told police that three days before the attack, a Crawford County judge had thrown out a protection order case that Prager’s sister had filed against Venturella. The uncle said Venturella and Prager were both in the courtroom when the case was dropped and that the men made hand gestures toward one another.
Later, on the night before the fatal attack, the men reportedly swapped messages where Venturella told Prager: “I beat your whole family.”
The uncle told police Venturella said the exchange made Prager “extremely angry.”
Prager is charged with second-degree intentional murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. His next court hearing is Thursday. He is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
