WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ A 34-year-old Wichita man is charged with first-degree murder in a fatal accident that occurred while he was fleeing from police.
Keith Ritz was charged Monday in the death of 38-year-old Venancio Perez. Police allege Ritz was fleeing in a stolen pickup truck when he ran a stop sign last Tuesday in south Wichita and hit a pickup driven by Perez, who died at the scene.
The murder charge accuses Ritz of unlawfully killing Perez while fleeing from or trying to elude an officer.
Ritz remains in Sedgwick County jail on a $250,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25.
Ritz told the judge Monday that he would try to hire his own attorney.
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