Christian Sheppard was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for a DUI crash that killed his passenger in Wichita's Delano District in December 2024.
A Sedgwick County judge sentenced Sheppard, 34, to 75 months on Thursday, Oct. 15, the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office announced, as reported by KSN. Sheppard had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence in the death of 32-year-old Chekiel Wright.
The sentencing followed a fatal crash shortly after midnight on Dec. 29, 2024, in Wichita’s Delano District. Wichita police said Sheppard was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when his car left the road in the 200 block of North Charles Street, according to KSN's earlier reporting.
An affidavit said Sheppard was traveling about 100 mph.
The car struck a tree, a fence and a home with enough force to rip the engine from the chassis, KSN reported. The vehicle then burst into flames. Emergency crews extricated both Sheppard and Wright and took them to the hospital, where Wright died from his injuries.
Sheppard had originally been charged with second-degree murder. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped that charge along with two misdemeanors from a separate case. Sheppard also pleaded guilty to one count of criminal threat stemming from an April 2024 incident in which court records say he set off multiple fire alarms and threatened someone. A court filing says he voluntarily told police, "I pulled some fire alarms, but I didn't kill nobody."
Judge Tyler Roush oversaw the case. Sheppard entered his guilty pleas on July 28, and Roush then scheduled the sentencing.
Wright, of Wichita, was a father of two daughters. The DUI Victims Center of Kansas describes him as a standout point guard at Wichita North High School who led the KS Redhawks to the 2010 MAYB national basketball title. An annual Chekiel Wright Legacy Basketball Game has been founded in his honor.
KWCH also reported on the sentencing.
