Man with criminal history arrested in Wichita woman’s death

An acquaintance of Ciera Ray has been arrested in connection with her death, Wichita police said Monday.

Ray, 27, was found dead in her house early in the evening of June 25 by her boyfriend, who was returning from an out-of-town business trip, police have said. Her 3-year-old daughter was in the house alone for several hours after Ray was killed.

Law enforcement documents and jail records show that Marvin Lee Gray Jr., 26, was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

“It was not random,” homicide Lt. Todd Ojile said of the crime.

Police have released little information about how Ray was killed in her house on the corner of 23rd and Green, other than to say she suffered multiple injuries. Gray was identified as a suspect during the investigation, not through a tip, Ojile said.

Court records show a Sedgwick County judge placed Gray on probation for two years in 2010 after he pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and criminal damage to property in what was originally charged as a sexual assault case. His probation term was extended for another year after he committed aggravated assaults using a handgun and a steak knife during two disputes in April 2012, according to court documents.

Sedgwick County District Court records also show a handful of juvenile misdemeanor convictions for Gray for theft, resisting police arrest and battery against a school employee.

He could appear in court in connection with Ray’s death as early as Tuesday, said Dan Dillon, spokesman for the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

Ray was the 13th homicide victim in Wichita this year.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Man with criminal history arrested in Wichita woman’s death."