Wichita man sentenced for brutal 2020 murder where victim was found dead in car trunk
A 21-year-old Wichita man will serve life in prison plus 13 months for his role in a deadly, brutal beating at a south Wichita apartment in July 2020 where the victim reportedly begged for his life, Sedgwick County District Court records show.
Wichita police have said 47-year-old Roy Hayden of Wichita was beaten in the head with a hammer and crowbar, punched, shot in the knee and choked during an hours-long assault in the 800 block of South San Pablo on July 1 or 2, 2020. After the attack, he was dumped in the trunk of a Volvo that was later abandoned in the 1500 block of North Broadway.
Authorities discovered his bound body inside the car four days after a witness reported details of the killing to law enforcement. An autopsy determined Hayden had died from asphyxiation; trash bags were covering his head when his body was found, an affidavit released by the court says.
Jose Garcia-Martinez is among defendants charged in the killing. A Sedgwick County jury in May convicted him of first-degree felony murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery, court records show. In handwritten motions filed with the court, Garcia-Martinez argued he deserved a new trial because photos of Hayden’s body shown in court unfairly prejudiced the jury. He also asked for all charges to be dismissed, saying he “only acted to avoid harm” himself, one of the motions says.
District Judge Kevin O’Connor on Monday ordered Garcia-Martinez to serve life with no parole eligibility for 25 years for the murder, 267 months in prison for aggravated kidnapping, six months in jail for misdemeanor battery and 13 months in prison for aggravated battery, court records show.
The murder and aggravated battery sentences have to be served consecutively, or back to back. The rest will be served concurrently, or at the same time.
