Wichita police identify couple killed in weekend domestic violence murder-suicide
Wichita police on Monday identified the victims of a deadly weekend domestic violence shooting as 42-year-old Alicia Botello and 44-year-old Victor Rodriguez-Martinez of Wichita.
Capt. Jason Stephens said the motive for the shooting wasn’t entirely clear but some sort of fight over property preceded the gunfire. The couple, who police say are divorced, were not living together.
Stephens said Rodriguez-Martinez went to Botello’s home in the 600 block of West 25th Street South on Saturday and got into an argument with her outside. During the fight, Rodriguez-Martinez pulled a handgun and shot Botello to death then turned the weapon on himself.
Botello’s sons, 20 and 16, were inside of her home at the time, Stephens said. Police responded around 11 p.m.
Rodriguez-Martinez was taken to a Wichita hospital after the shooting and died there.
Stephens said the couple had no recent history of violence. There have been 10 domestic violence homicides in Wichita so far this year.
The police department encourages anyone in an abusive or dangerous relationship to seek help by calling:
- 911
- Harbor House Domestic Violence Shelter, 316-263-6000
- Wichita Family Crisis Center, 316-267-7233
- Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, 316-263-3002
- StepStone, 316-265-1611
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
