Man pleads to lesser charge in Wichita death

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A judge has sentenced a 23-year-old Wichita man to just over nine years in prison in connection to a fatal shooting two years ago.

The district attorney’s office says Caviontay Conway pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 49-year-old Dennis Haynes of Wichita.

The shooting happened just before 8 a.m. on Aug. 15, 2022, in the 5200 block of E. Gilbert St., northeast of Lincoln and Oliver. An investigation by the Wichita Police Department revealed that Haynes and several other people were inside a home when two armed men entered and shot Dennis.

Police arrested Conway and 39-year-old Shannon Cavitt Jr. They were both charged with multiple charges , including first-degree murder and four counts of kidnapping in the commission of a crime.

In August, Conway pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and four counts of kidnapping.

District Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced him to 110 months in prison, with 36 months post-release. He also ordered him to pay $3,000 in restitution.

Cavitt, the other suspect in the case, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison last year. He is currently being held at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility. The Kansas Department of Corrections shows his earliest possible release date is January 2048.

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