Carr brothers verdict: Guilty

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Nov. 5, 2002.

Today, Jonathan and Reginald Carr begin fighting for their lives.

A jury Monday found the brothers guilty of killing four Wichita residents on Dec. 15, 2000.

Now, the jury must decide whether to sentence the brothers to death. Judge Paul Clark ordered the penalty phase of the trial to begin this morning.

"Justice has been served - and it is long awaited, " Chief Deputy District Attorney Kim Parker said.

Jurors found Reginald Carr, 24, guilty of all 50 crimes charged against him, including the capital murders of Dec. 15, the first-degree murder of Ann Walenta four days earlier and the Dec. 7 carjacking and robbery of Andrew Schreiber.

Earlier in the day, Clark denied a request by jurors to consider lesser charges than first-degree felony murder in the death of Walenta, a cellist with the Wichita Symphony who died Jan. 2, 2001, from her wounds. The jury convicted both of the Carrs on the original charge.

The jury also found Jonathan Carr, 22, guilty of the four capital murders and 39 other crimes. But jurors found him not guilty of four crimes related to the carjacking of Schreiber. The former Wichita State University baseball player could not identify Jonathan Carr as one of his attackers.

"This obviously was a thinking person's jury, " District Attorney Nola Foulston said afterward. "They gave grave consideration to the responsibility they have."

Tears fell throughout the courtroom as the verdicts were read, but not from the Carrs.

As he left the courtroom after the verdict, Reginald Carr appeared to smile and wink at family members of victims.

Jonathan Carr didn't look at the victims' families, staring straight ahead as guards escorted him back to the Sedgwick County Jail.

The guilty verdicts included convictions on multiple counts of rape, aggravated sodomy and robbery, crimes that prosecutors say were part of a three-hour ordeal that five friends endured before they were driven to a soccer field near K-96 and Greenwich Road.

Jason Befort, Aaron Sander, Heather Muller, Brad Heyka and another woman were forced to kneel in the snow before being shot in the back of the head.

The first four were killed, but the woman survived because a plastic hair clip diverted the bullet. Bleeding from her wounds, she ran a mile to the nearest house to call for help. She provided the most damaging testimony of the trial.

The jury - which deliberated for about 12 hours over three days - found the Carrs guilty of not only raping the survivor and another woman but also of rapes against the three male victims. That was based on the men being forced at gunpoint to have sex with the women.

Monday, emotions began simmering when it became clear the jury found the two men guilty of capital murder.

By the time court adjourned, family members of the five who were killed - along with the two survivors - hugged police detectives and prosecutors.

"The reaction of the family was as we expected, one of relief, " Foulston said, saying the family members themselves wished to decline comment.

Parker shed tears as she received hugs from relatives of victims and officers.

"I've waited on a lot of juries before, and you never know what a jury will do, " Parker said. "But this case did have overwhelming evidence. . . . This has been a very long process."

The eight-week trial included more than 800 exhibits, including DNA linking both brothers to the scene and massive amounts of property belonging to all the victims that was found in the brothers' possession when they were arrested .

After the verdict, Foulston praised the community, which provided valuable tips to help police make quick arrests and catch the Carrs still holding evidence from the crime.

"This showed a true community policing effort, " Foulston said.

Said Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams: "I've been here 28 years, and this is probably the most significant case as far as having a rippling effect on the community. It was a case that the community can feel good about because it was a community effort involving everything, including citizens stepping forward."

The courtroom was well-guarded during the reading of the verdict. It was filled with members of the Police Department's homicide division and gang unit, as well as at least 10 Sedgwick County sheriff's deputies.

Defense lawyers had little to say.

"The trial is not over, " said Val Wachtel, lawyer for Reginald Carr.

The defense will begin presenting witnesses today from the Carrs' family, as well as mental health professionals, to show why the jury should return a sentence of less than death.

Foulston said she has known from the beginning what the punishment should be.

"Without equivocation, without hesitation, " she said, "I decided to seek the death penalty against both Jonathan and Reginald Carr."

Contributing: Hurst Laviana of The Eagle; Associated Press.

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Carr brothers verdict: Guilty."