On a Wednesday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas, a planned meeting in an apartment complex parking lot turned deadly for 17-year-old Marcus Sain, a Black male. The events of May 20, 2020, unfolded at the Fox Run Apartments near Harry and Webb, where Sain and another teenager had arranged to buy marijuana. They met with Malcolm Ganther, who arrived in a grey Buick, while an associate of his, Nathaniel Saunders, was also present in a separate vehicle to act as a lookout.
Sain and his companion got into the back of Ganther's car to conduct the transaction.
Inside the vehicle, the drug deal soured, and a disturbance broke out. According to court records, Sain and the other teen with him, 18-year-old Jakob Cuble, reportedly drew firearms. Seeing the guns from his vantage point, Saunders ran to Ganther's car and opened fire on Sain and Cuble. Both were struck by the gunfire. In the chaotic aftermath, Ganther and Saunders fled the scene in their respective vehicles, leaving the two teenagers wounded in the parking lot. Police responded to a shooting call just before 3 p.m. and found Sain with critical injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital, but succumbed to a fatal gunshot wound to the head the following day. Cuble, who had also been shot multiple times, fled the scene and later sought treatment at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
The investigation into the homicide led police to identify 22-year-old Malcolm Ganther as a suspect, and he was arrested at his home the day after the shooting. More than a year later, in June 2021, authorities arrested Jakob Cuble, who was 18 at the time of the incident, charging him with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. The third individual, Nathaniel Saunders, was also taken into custody. All three men eventually faced charges related to Sain's death.
The legal proceedings concluded with convictions for the men involved. Malcolm Ganther pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated battery and was sentenced to 10 years and 3 months in prison. Nathaniel Saunders also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated battery. Jakob Cuble entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery, receiving a sentence of 15 years and 1 month in prison. His defense argued that he had fired his own weapon in self-defense after being shot five times.
