WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man who pleaded guilty to the death of a Wichita woman who was reported missing this summer was sentenced Monday to life in prison.
Kyle Bearden appeared in Sedgwick County District Court, where he was given a sentence of life in prison for first-degree murder and 181 months for the additional charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery and burglary in the death of 30-year-old Mariana Christian.
Bearden pleaded guilty to those charges at his August preliminary hearing.
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Christian’s body was found near Cottonwood Park on Tuesday, July 29, nearly two weeks after she had disappeared. She had been reported missing after a friend went to her home to check on her and encountered Bearden, who said Christian had left July 18 and he had not seen her since.
A later search of Christian’s home by Wichita police found signs of foul play, leading to Bearden’s arrest…