WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A 29-year-old Wichita man will be in his 90s before he gets out of prison for murdering his girlfriend and their 8-year-old daughter four years ago.
The murders happened in March 2020. A friend and coworker called 911 after Mickayla Sorell did not show up for work or respond to text messages. Police did a welfare check and found Sorell, 24, and her daughter Natalya shot to death in a home in the 4400 block of South Walnut.
Daniel Lopez was named a suspect a day later and arrested on April 10. He was initially charged with capital murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and aggravated assault.
But in late June, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and second-degree murder. Other charges were dismissed.
On Thursday, District Judge Eric Williams sentenced Lopez to life in prison with parole eligibility after 50 years for the first-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to 184 months, or 15.25 years, for the second-degree murder.
The judge ran the sentences consecutively, which means if Lopez is paroled after 50 years, he must begin serving his 15.25-year sentence. The sentence includes $5,000 in restitution for funeral expenses for the victims’ family.