Curtis Mitchell, suspect in Tanya Tandoc’s death, enters guilty plea

Curtis Mitchell, who was charged last week with first-degree murder in the death of local restaurateur Tanya Tandoc, pleaded guilty as charged Tuesday afternoon.

It’s rare that a homicide suspect admits guilt in court so early in a case. Tandoc, 45, was found dead in the basement of her home at 236 S. Minneapolis less than two weeks ago, late on the night of June 4, after police were sent to check on her welfare after friends could not contact her. Mitchell was arrested and charged last Tuesday.

He called 911 shortly after police made an initial visit to the house and told a dispatcher that he had killed Tandoc in a “crime of passion.”

During an unscheduled hearing Tuesday, Sedgwick County District Court Judge Terry Pullman called the timing of the plea “unusual.” Cases where serious felonies are charged typically are “best considered over a long period of time,” he said.

“You and Miss Tandoc obviously had some relationship,” Pullman said. “You are obviously under some emotional turmoil because of the circumstances of her death.

“You apparently wish to admit fault for causing her death and proceed to a plea in an extremely early stage of the case. Ultimately that’s your choice, and I’ll honor it if that’s what you want to do.”

But he said: “Her death happened less than two weeks ago, and it’s very unusual in this type of case to plead so quickly. I’m not saying that you can’t. I’m not saying that you will. But you may have potential factual technical defenses to this charge.”

Mitchell, who wore an orange jail jumpsuit, eyeglasses and a full beard, stood calmly during the speech. At the end, he told the judge he was prepared to enter a plea and did not need more time to talk to his attorney, Mark Rudy. He was shackled at his hands and feet.

“Are you absolutely certain on that?” Pullman asked.

“Yes,” Mitchell replied.

By entering a plea, Mitchell gives up his right to have a jury or judge decide his guilt. He also forgoes his right to seek certain appeals normally available under the law.

After the hearing, District Attorney Marc Bennett said he had been preparing for the possibility of a guilty plea since observing Mitchell’s interview with law enforcement as it unfolded early June 5. He said Mitchell seemed “remorseful.”

“It was pretty clear that Mr. Mitchell – this is what he wanted to do. He wanted to accept responsibility for what he’d done,” Bennett said.

“It’s unusual but there are times when someone wants to accept responsibility for what they’ve done, for reasons known only to them. … It’s a decision that the court respects and accepts as long as it’s made knowingly and intelligently.”

Mitchell understood that he was entering the plea against the advice of his attorney and could have backed out at any time, Bennett said. “But that’s still what he wanted to do today,” he said.

Mitchell, 47, faces life in prison when he is sentenced July 23. He would not be eligible for parole for the first time until he’s 97.

Last year, the Legislature increased the amount of time an inmate convicted of first-degree premeditated murder must serve before seeing a parole board for the first time to 50 years. Before, inmates could get parole after serving 25 years.

Details of the crime

During the hearing, Pullman read aloud from Mitchell’s plea agreement with prosecutors. It set forth the factual basis for the first-degree murder charge and the sentence he will receive.

The documents also gave this account of Tandoc’s death, based on a confession Mitchell made to Wichita police detectives after his arrest:

Mitchell had lived in Tandoc’s home at 236 S. Minneapolis for several months leading up to June 3. In the days before her death, the pair had argued and she had told Mitchell he had to move out of her house.

The night she was killed, Tandoc arrived home and Mitchell was in the house. Without provocation, he hit her with his fist, “knocking her to the ground.”

According to the documents Mitchell told detectives he “knew he had to kill” Tandoc, so he straddled her body, closed his hands around her throat and began to strangle her. While strangling her, Mitchell repeatedly slammed her head on the floor; he continued to hold her throat for five to 10 minutes “until he believed she was dead.”

Mitchell then bound Tandoc’s hands and ankles and dragged her to the basement, where her body ultimately was discovered about 24 hours later. He drove her vehicle into her garage to avert suspicion. He believed her friends would think she wasn’t home.

In court, Mitchell told Pullman he took Tandoc to the basement to ensure she did not escape.

He called 911 and told dispatchers he killed Tandoc moments after telling officers sent to the address to check her welfare that she likely left Wichita, according to details of the crime outlined in the plea agreement.

Police have said when Mitchell talked to officers again, he referred to Tandoc as his girlfriend, but her friends say the pair were not romantically involved.

Tandoc, a well-known Wichita restaurateur, owned and ran Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, 1725 E. Douglas. She also reviewed restaurants for local public radio station KMUW.

None of Tandoc’s family attended Mitchell’s plea hearing Tuesday. Only attorneys, news media, law enforcement and other court personnel packed the courtroom.

But Bennett said those closest to her were pleased with its result.

“I’m pleased for the family and friends of Tanya Tandoc that they don’t have to suffer through a long, drawn-out affair, a long, drawn-out process,” Bennett said.

“Miss Tandoc obviously has a lot of friends in this community, all of whom I’m sure will be pleased to know there is a quick, unexpectedly quick resolution to this.”

Contributing: Stan Finger and Tim Potter of The Eagle

This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Curtis Mitchell, suspect in Tanya Tandoc’s death, enters guilty plea."