17 January 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — One of the two men arrested in Oklahoma in connection to the murder of Daniel McPherson, 34, made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
James Sawyer was charged on Dec. 14, 2023, with first-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery. He made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
A second attempted aggravated robbery charge was filed “in the alternative.” Court documents indicate the alleged crime was attempted either by using a dangerous weapon or by inflicting bodily harm on a person. If convicted, the defendant could be sentenced for one of the attempted robbery charges but not both.
A spokesperson for the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office told KSN on Dec. 14 that both Sawyer and Phillip Walls were charged at that time, but Oklahoma requires warrants to be issued for their arrest to extradite a suspect to another state.
The charges stem from a shooting that happened in south Wichita on Dec. 6. Police said around 2 a.m., the Blackwell Police Department in Oklahoma contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch reporting a shooting investigation involving two people who went to a local hospital. One of the people had a gunshot wound.
Police arrived in south Wichita, near the intersection of MacArthur Road and Hydraulic Avenue, and found McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide investigators traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma, where they took Walls and Sawyer into custody.
Sawyer is being held on a $750,000 bond, and his next court appearance will be on Jan. 26.