Man pleads guilty to murdering Wichita woman whose body was found last month
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- Kyle Bearden pleaded guilty to felony murder, kidnapping, and robbery charges.
- Mariana Christian was found dead in Cottonwood Park after being reported missing.
- Christian had recently housed Bearden after his eviction, according to her family.
The man charged with killing a Wichita woman whose body was found in Cottonwood Park last month has pleaded guilty.
Kyle S. Bearden, 31, is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 20 on first-degree felony murder, kidnapping, burglary and aggravated robbery charges in the July shooting death of 31-year-old Mariana Christian, court records show. He pleaded guilty to amended charges on Monday, less than two weeks after prosecutors charged him with first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the killing.
“The plea agreement calls for the parties to jointly recommend a prison sentence of life with parole eligibility after 25 years, to be followed by an additional 15 years of imprisonment if parole is granted,” Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Lyndsee Stover said by email.
Family and friends of Christian have said she was helping Bearden get back on his feet following an eviction, including letting him stay in her apartment, in the 1200 block of South Paige, near Harry and Rock Road. She was last seen alive on July 19 in that area and was reported missing by a friend two days later.
Police have said they discovered evidence of foul play in her home.
Bearden’s plea agreement says he gave law enforcement information about the location of the gun used to kill Christian, which “led to the recovery of additional incriminating evidence and property belonging to the victim.”
Authorities found her remains in the park, also near Harry and Rock Road, on July 29.
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This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM.
