Second suspect pleads guilty in 2023 Wichita homicide
On Tuesday, James Sawyer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery in the death of 34-year-old Daniel McPherson.
Around 2 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2023, the Wichita Police Department was dispatched to MacArthur and Hydraulic after the report of a related shooting investigation out of Blackwell, Oklahoma.
When officers arrived at the hospital, they spoke with Sawyer, Phillip Walls, and a woman who was with them. Walls had been shot in the leg and arm. He told police his phone had been left at the scene, and GPS led officers to the 1700 block of E. MacArthur in Wichita. There, officers found McPherson lying in a field with gunshot wounds to the back of his head, cheek, and shoulder.
Man pleads guilty in 2022 intentional crash, stabbing
According to court documents, Sawyer told investigators that he and Walls had planned to get drugs from McPherson without paying. The plan was to hold McPherson down with a belt and grab the drugs. But once the belt was placed around McPherson, he pulled a gun and began shooting inside the car. Sawyer then fired his handgun twice, hitting McPherson. McPherson was then pulled from the car and left at the scene.
Walls pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting and was sentenced last year to more than 27 years in prison.
Sawyer's sentencing is set for Sept. 3.
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