Man convicted in crash that killed pregnant woman sentenced to life in prison

26 July 2023

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man convicted in June for a fatal crash that killed a pregnant woman has been sentenced to prison.

Javan Ervin in court in June 2023 (KSN Photo)

Javan Ervin, 39, will spend life in prison for the death of Samantha Russell. She was killed when her vehicle was struck by a car driven by Ervin in July of 2021.

At the time of the crash, Ervin was fleeing from Wichita Police following a reported robbery. He was eventually convicted on June 8 on seven of eight charges that include:

Murder in the First degree; In the commission of a felony

Aggravated battery; Reckless deadly weapon to cause great bodily harm/disfigurement or death

Flee or attempt to elude LEO by engaging in wickless driving

Flee or attempt to elude; Motor vehicle accident or damage property

Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon; Convicted within 5 years

Failure to stop at an accident; Resulting in death

Drive while license canceled/suspended/revoked

Ervin received the maximum sentence of life, without the possibility of parole for 724 months, or just over 60 years in prison. His defense team will be filing an appeal.

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