Man arrested in beating death of woman in south Wichita

He called 911 and said a group of strangers had jumped his girlfriend while they were walking along Broadway late Sunday and badly beaten her.

When police arrived in the 4500 block of South Main, Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile said, they found a 41-year-old woman lying near a garage in the front yard of a residence. She had suffered blunt force trauma injuries and could not be revived.

She was pronounced dead at the scene near Broadway and 47th Street South shortly before 11 p.m. As officers investigated the incident, Ojile said, the only evidence of a struggle was found inside the garage converted into a residence that the couple shared.

“It is believed the assault occurred inside the residence,” Ojile said.

The 43-year-old boyfriend was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, Ojile said.

“We’re not sure why he took her outside” after she was attacked, he said.

The woman’s name is being withheld pending the notification of relatives. The couple had been dating for two to three months and lived together, Ojile said.

The house next to the garage belongs to a relative of the suspect, he said.

This is the 26th homicide of the year in Wichita.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Man arrested in beating death of woman in south Wichita."