Wichita Police arrested 27-year-old Isaac Pankratz Tuesday on a charge of 1st-degree murder. He was previously arrested and booked into jail Sunday on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
After 9:30 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a call for police at a home in the northeast part of Wichita, east of Oliver & Murdock. Officers located 36-year-old Sarah Phillips of Wichita unresponsive with trauma to her head; she was pronounced deceased on the scene.
On Sunday, investigators contacted Pankratz at a home in the southwest part of Wichita in the 2500 block of W. Wildwood, near 29th Street south & Meridian. He was arrested after being found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun; the gun was recovered.
Through further investigation, it was learned the incident was a criminal homicide and that Pankratz and Phillips were both at the home on Murdock when he fired a shot from a shotgun, striking her and causing fatal injuries. Pankratz then fled the scene.
This was not a random incident as Pankratz and the female are known to each other. In the past, Pankratz had been arrested and convicted of charges including robbery, aggravated assault, theft, and burglary.
The investigation will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.
