‘Best in class, best in sports’: Family remembers young woman killed in north Wichita

Nyrii Williams remembers her sister being protective of her.

She said the last time she saw Deniq Jasmine Ingram was at their Wichita home in 2019 when her sister stepped in to stop her from being beaten and in turn was beaten.

“Deniq always looked out for me when I was younger,” 18-year-old Williams said.

Ingram was killed on Dec. 21 in her north Wichita apartment, where the 23-year-old lived with her former stepfather and now common-law spouse, 42-year-old Larry Eugene Ingram Jr.

He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder in the killing. He already faced 2021 charges in an abuse case involving members of Deniq Ingram’s family. She was a witness in that case.

Deniq Ingram’s sister, mother and aunt remembered her as a smart woman who wanted to be a neurosurgeon and an exceptional athlete.

Tamara Spencer said she remembers a few years ago when her niece helped her husband with statistics.

“The girl was so smart, she was able to help him in his classes,” Spencer said. “She’s just always been a shining star. Best in class, best in sports.”

She holds some of the fastest times in track at East and Southeast high schools. She transferred and finished at Heights, where she continued to excel in sports and academics.

The Eagle named her as a high school girls runner to watch during the 2017 cross country season.

In 2018, before graduating from Heights, she received an academic award as part of the U.S. President’s Education Awards Program.

She went on to study at Wichita State University. She was last enrolled in spring 2020.

“She was the model child,” her mother, Daniva Chandler, said.

“She was neat, clean, kind, good cook,” she said. “My daughter (was) very pretty, smart, had her whole future in front of her.”

It was 2020 when Williams last heard her sister’s voice. Williams said how she was a captain on the volleyball team and would beat her big sister when they finally played a game together.

Ingram told her little sister that she was sure to lose.

“I said ‘I can’t wait for that day to come,”’ Williams said, starting to cry. “And it never came.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral costs. It can be found at shorturl.at/ahlF1.

Contributing: Amy Renee Leiker

This story was originally published January 8, 2024 at 12:09 PM.