Wichita man sentenced to nine years in fatal drug deal

24 January 2023

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Wichita man was in court Tuesday, where he was sentenced in connection to a 2020 drug deal that ended with two people dead.

Preston Reynolds’ mugshot from May 22, 2020 (Courtesy: Sedgwick County Sheriff)

Preston Reynolds, 21, was sentenced to 108 months in prison, which equals out to a little over nine years. He pleaded guilty in Nov. 2022 to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and attempted distribution of a controlled substance.

The Wichita Police Department (WPD) said Reynolds and, at the time, 20-year-old Missy Barber drove to an apartment complex in the 3600 block of W 13th St just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2020, for a drug transaction with 21-year-old Earnest Jefferson and 19-year-old Jahbreel Rounds.


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Police say a disturbance occurred while Reynolds and Barber were in a car in the parking lot, and shots were fired, injuring Jefferson, Rounds, and Reynolds.

Jefferson had multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene, according to the WPD. Rounds died the following Monday due to his injuries.

Following the shooting, police say Reynolds and Barber left in the car. Reynolds later showed up at a local hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to his leg. Police say after he was treated, he was booked into jail.

After the WPD learned of Barber’s involvement, they say they arrested her at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of S Glenn Ave.

She pled guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of attempted distribution of a controlled substance. Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23.

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