Michael Tejeda, a 26-year-old Kansas man, will spend nearly two decades in prison for the death of his 1-year-old daughter, whom his 3-year-old daughter shot in the head after he left his handgun within her reach.
In May, Tejeda pleaded guilty to one count each of murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, along with two counts of aggravated child endangerment, according to Sedgwick County court records.
Under the terms of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a charge of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony. Police arrested him in March 2025 on charges of first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and aggravated child endangerment.
On Friday, 18th Judicial District Court Judge Chrystal Krier sentenced him to 19 years and nine months in prison. After he completes his sentence, he will serve 36 months of post-release supervision.
The incident occurred on Feb. 28, 2025, at the family’s home on South Santa Fe Street in Wichita.
Tejeda himself called 911 that night to report the shooting, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Wichita-based ABC affiliate KAKE.
He told the dispatcher his older daughter shot his younger daughter and could be heard asking the 3-year-old “why she did that.”
Tejeda told police he fell asleep watching his children while their mother was out — and realized he had left his handgun in a prop holster in the front of his waistband. He went on to tell investigators the fake holster had no retention and that a firearm could fall out if it turned upside down while in the holster. Tejeda added that he had removed the gun from his waistband and placed it on the mantel of the living room fireplace, which he estimated stood about 4 feet tall.
“I knew better, should’ve put it somewhere else,” he told police after the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Tejeda said the shooting happened while he was in his bedroom changing clothes. At some point, he said, he heard a loud bang, followed by his daughter running toward her room crying.
When he asked the girl what the sound was, the 3-year-old said she was sorry and that it was his gun.
“He went into the living room and found [the 1-year-old] with a gunshot wound to her head while she was lying on the couch,” the affidavit reads. “Tejeda said he found his firearm lying on the couch next to [the child].”
The father explained to investigators that the 3-year-old had been “curious” about the gun before and had commented on it.
After the shooting, staff took the girl to a child advocacy center for a forensic interview, where she was “mostly interested in playing but did say she received an injury earlier in the day and received a Band-Aid,” according to the affidavit.
“She did not mention anything about the incident,” the affidavit explained.
As part of the plea agreement, the state and the defense asked the judge to impose a midrange sentence under state guidelines and to run the sentences consecutively, meaning one after another, according to local NBC and Telemundo affiliate KSNW.
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