Wichita man tried to drown pregnant teen after other girlfriend saw baby shower pics
A Wichita man has been convicted of attempted first-degree murder for trying to drown his pregnant teenage girlfriend after they argued about him dating another woman.
A Sedgwick County jury found 23-year-old Dominic Hosea Thomas guilty after a four-day trial last week, court records show. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Wichita police have said Thomas, then 19, dragged the visibly pregnant 17-year-old into a pond near 37th Street North and Sullivan on Sept. 21, 2020, and held her head under water after becoming upset that his other girlfriend had seen their baby shower photos on Facebook. The 17-year-old girl told police Thomas threatened to kill her in text messages then convinced her to meet face to face and take a walk so they could talk.
When they got to the pond, Thomas told her he had eaten “a whole pizza by himself” because “I’m going to jail,” a probable cause affidavit released in the case says. He put her in a headlock then dragged her by her feet into the pond, where he held her head underwater while she screamed and pleaded for him to let her go, the affidavit says.
Thomas later admitted to police that he wanted to drown the pregnant teen for revealing their relationship to the other woman, the affidavit says. He told police he held her down with both hands in two feet of water but stopped and went home after she mentioned their unborn baby.
The teen was 35 weeks pregnant at the time. The child was still moving in utero and had a heartbeat when the girl was examined at the hospital after the attack, the affidavit says.
Sedgwick County District Judge David Kaufman presided over the trial. Jurors returned the guilty verdict on Nov. 15.
