Wichita mom headed to prison for killing man who allegedly beat son with baseball bat
A Wichita mother will serve 16 years, three months in prison for murdering a man who allegedly beat her adult son with a baseball bat in 2020, a Sedgwick County judge ruled Wednesday.
District Judge Jeffrey Syrios imposed the prison sentence after denying a request for probation from Amber Kay Ahrens’ lawyer, saying there was “no substantial and compelling basis” to grant her leniency in connection with the fatal shooting of 53-year-old David Leddy on June 17, 2020.
Police have said Ahrens confronted Leddy outside of his Wichita home at 1214 N. Pinecrest after he attacked her 19-year-old son for being at his house. She left a local casino and drove around looking for her son before fighting with Leddy in his driveway, police said.
Ahrens, 43, claimed she pulled a revolver from her purse and shot Leddy in the head above his left ear after he threatened to beat her, too — circumstances defense lawyer Gerard Scott argued should result in Ahrens getting a break.
“Mr. Leddy was an aggressor or participant in the criminal conduct associated with the crime of conviction,” Scott said in a written motion filed ahead of Wednesday’s sentencing.
“Amber Ahrens is a caring compassionate person who often puts others first. Caring compassionate people are capable of great rage in situations when they perceive others have suffered wrongs. ... What happened the night of this case was the perfect storm for her acting out on her fear and anger.”
After shooting Leddy, Ahrens left his home with a friend and tossed the revolver in a vacant lot, according to her arrest affidavit. Police arrested her three weeks later after witnesses who knew her by the name “Odyssey” identified her.
She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon ahead of her Nov. 15 jury trial.
In addition to serving the 195-month sentence, Ahrens must pay $1,772.63 in restitution to the Crime Victims Compensation Board, DA spokesman Dan Dillon said. She’ll also be supervised for three years after she’s released from prison, he said.
