Florida man faces life in prison for two Wichita murders

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of two Wichita residents.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt says a Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 100 years after he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

Schmidt says Michael Fowler Jr., 56, of Sarasota, Florida, was sentenced by Barton County District Court Judge Mike Keeley on July 6. Fowler was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 50 years on each of two counts of first-degree murder. Keeley says he ordered the two sentences to run consecutively.

According to the AG, Fowler was also sentenced to 21 months in prison for theft. Keeley says he ordered that sentence to run concurrently to the murder sentences.

Schmidt says Fowler pleaded guilty to the charges in March 2019 and was charged in July 2018 for crimes in connection with the deaths of Alfred “Sonny” Carpenter and Pauline Carpenter of Wichita.

According to Schmidt, the case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Great Bend Police Department, as well as the Van Buren Police Department and Crawford County Sheriff’s Office in Arkansas. Shmidt says Deputy Attorney General Vic Braden and Assistant Attorney General Jessica Domme are prosecuting the case.

Schmidt says two additional defendants have also been convicted on related charges and are awaiting sentencing.

According to Schmidt related charges against one other defendant remain pending.

Schmidt says charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.