A Wichita father has received a Kansas gun death sentence of 19 years and nine months in prison after his 3-year-old daughter fatally shot her 1-year-old sister with a handgun he left within the child’s reach. Michael Tejeda, 26, was sentenced on Friday by Judge Chrystal Krier of the 18th Judicial District Court following a guilty plea entered in May.
Tejeda pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment, according to Sedgwick County court records. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped an original charge of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony.
The state and defence jointly asked Judge Krier to impose a midrange sentence under Kansas state guidelines and for the sentences to run consecutively.
What Happened on South Santa Fe Street
The incident occurred on 28 February 2025 at the family home. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KAKE News, Wichita police responded to the 2200 block of South Santa Fe that evening after Tejeda himself called 911 to report the shooting.
Tejeda told police he had fallen asleep while watching his children, with the children’s mother out of the home. He said he had been carrying his handgun in a prop holster with no retention, meaning the firearm could fall free if the holster shifted. At some point he removed the gun from his waistband and placed it on the mantelpiece of the living room fireplace, which he estimated stood approximately 4 feet tall.
He was in his bedroom changing clothes when he heard a loud bang. His 3-year-old came running towards her room crying. When he asked what had happened, she told him she was sorry and that it was his gun.
‘He went into the living room and found [the 1-year-old] with a gunshot wound to her head while she was lying on the couch,’ the affidavit reads. ‘Tejeda said he found his firearm lying on the couch next to [the child].’
On the 911 call, Tejeda could be heard asking his 3-year-old ‘why she did that.’ He told investigators the older girl had previously shown curiosity about the gun and had commented on it before.
‘I knew better, should’ve put it somewhere else,’ Tejeda told police, according to the affidavit.
The Kansas Gun Death Sentence and the Judge Who Handed It Down
Tejeda was arrested in March 2025 on charges of first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and aggravated child endangerment. Following the conviction, Judge Krier imposed the sentence that the parties had jointly requested, running the counts consecutively. After release, Tejeda will serve 36 months of post-release supervision.
Judge Krier presides over Division 13 of the Criminal Department of the 18th Judicial District Court. She assumed that bench on 13 January 2025, having previously been appointed to the 18th Judicial District by Governor Laura Kelly in April 2023, according to WIBW.
After the shooting, the 3-year-old was taken to a child advocacy centre for a forensic interview. She was, according to the affidavit, ‘mostly interested in playing but did say she received an injury earlier in the day and received a Band-Aid.’ She did not refer to the shooting during the interview.
Kansas sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder and related weapons offences are administered under the jurisdiction of the Kansas Supreme Court. Consecutive sentencing in cases involving multiple victims or counts is a standard prosecutorial tool at the district-court level, though judges retain discretion unless bound by a plea agreement’s joint recommendation.
Subject to any decision by Tejeda to seek appellate review of the sentence, the 19-year, nine-month term will stand as imposed by Judge Krier.
