A Wichita man charged with killing the stepdaughter who later became his wife, has been found guilty by a Sedgwick County jury.
Larry Ingram Jr., 44, is scheduled for sentencing on March 7 in the Dec. 21, 2023, shooting death of 23-year-old Deniq Jasmine Ingram at their Wichita apartment, 7750 E. 32nd St. North, near K-96 and Rock Road.
Jurors convicted him of one count each of second-degree unintentional but reckless murder and violation of a protective order after deliberating for less than 90 minutes Thursday, as reported by The Wichita Eagle.
Ingram Fatally Shot Deniq, Told Cops He Mistook Her for an Intruder
According to prosecutors, Ingram fatally shot Deniq in the chest after she got out of bed to pump breast milk for their newborn son around 12:40 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2023. He told police differing stories about how the shooting happened: At first he claimed he heard a noise in the apartment, didn’t get an answer when he called out for Deniq and shot her when she startled him coming around a corner.
He later claimed he had been fearful of a home invasion after someone had slashed his tires, a probable cause affidavit released by the court says.
Prosecutors contended at trial that Ingram knew — or should have known — Deniq was in the apartment and reached for a Glock 10mm gun in her purse instead of checking other rooms to see whether she was pumping breast milk like normal.
He waited in bed without turning on the lights or giving any warning that he was armed and fired recklessly the moment he saw her in the bedroom doorway, they told jurors.
Ingram was Under Court Order Barring Contact with Deniq as She was Going to Testify Against Him for Molesting, Raping Her Sisters
Ingram’s defense lawyers instead painted Ingram as a grieving husband who accidentally killed “the love of his life” after being jolted awake from a deep sleep. They told jurors Ingram was “terrified” and fired to protect Deniq and their 3-month-old son from any potential threats after he heard noises in the dark, cluttered apartment.
Deniq was pronounced dead at a Wichita hospital at 1:17 a.m. Dec. 21, 2023. The probable cause affidavit says she suffered a single gunshot wound to her left breast.
Ingram was under a court order barring contact with Deniq at the time of her death because she was slated to testify as a trial witness in a sex crimes case in which he was later convicted of sexually abusing her sisters when they were children. Deniq’s family has claimed Ingram killed her to prevent her from testifying, but jurors were not allowed to hear that theory.
Ingram used to be married to Deniq’s mother and helped raise her and her sisters, but the relationship fell apart in 2019 after some of the daughters disclosed that Ingram had been molesting and raping them for years. The sexual abuse resulted in at least three pregnancies that the girls were forced by Ingram to abort, the abused sisters have testified in court.
Deniq claimed she hadn’t been abused by Ingram and stayed with him when the rest of her family fled the state, although her mother thinks she stayed behind due to Stockholm Syndrome, when someone bonds with their abuser or captor.
Ingram was convicted of 17 crimes tied to the sex abuse at a trial in December. He is also scheduled for sentencing in that case on March 7, court records show.
