Pratt man found guilty in killing of pregnant woman, fetus

Bryant Seba was found guilty Friday by a Pratt jury of first-degree murder in the deaths of a pregnant woman and her fetus in a 2013 shooting.

Seba, 22, of Pratt, also was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Brandon Wright, who was left paralyzed below the waist, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a news release.

Seba is set for sentencing on Nov. 24 by Judge Francis Meisenheimer.

Alexandria Duran, 22, was killed outside her house late on the night of July 24, 2013, after one of multiple bullets fired by Seba struck her in the head, according to testimony. A deputy coroner determined she was between 13 and 15 weeks pregnant.

The case marked the first time the state attorney general’s office has pursued a murder charge under Alexa’s Law, named after the unborn child of Chelsea Brooks, a 14-year-old Wichita girl who was nine months pregnant when she was killed in 2006.

According to testimony, the shooting occurred after a series of racially charged confrontations that broke out between several people in the 100 block of North Ninnescah in Pratt, which is about 75 miles west of Wichita. Seba’s family lived next door to Duran’s family on Ninnescah.

Duran and her uncle had intervened in a fight that involved Seba, who is white, and Wright, who is black. Duran was trying to help her uncle, according to testimony.

The confrontation started after Seba verbally sparred with the boyfriend of Wright’s cousin who lived in an apartment complex on Ninnescah. Wright’s cousin called him to come help resolve the situation.

Authorities testified that Seba brought a .22-caliber rifle to the confrontation and fired nine shots into a group of people. One of those struck Duran in the head.

Wright sustained five gunshot wounds, according to testimony.

This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Pratt man found guilty in killing of pregnant woman, fetus."