In the early hours of January 2, 2020, the life of 27-year-old George Miles Kirksey, a Black male from Wichita, Kansas, was tragically cut short. Kirksey and a companion, 22-year-old Alicia Lyn Roman, were discovered by police at the Hotel at Waterwalk in downtown Wichita, both having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics who arrived at the scene shortly after 12:20 a.m.
were unable to save them, and both were pronounced dead inside their hotel room.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to Kyle DelShawn Young as the primary suspect. It was revealed that Young was Roman's ex-boyfriend and was reportedly upset that she had moved on and started a new relationship with Kirksey. According to court documents, Young’s anger motivated him to go to the hotel where the new couple was staying. He gained entry to their room through an unlocked door and opened fire on them before escaping. The day before the fatal shootings, Young had reportedly confronted Roman, holding a gun to her head and choking her during a New Year's celebration in Wichita's Old Town Entertainment District.
For six months, Young remained at large, but investigators eventually tracked him to Mexico, where he was apprehended and extradited back to Kansas to face justice. In October 2023, Young, then 37, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. In exchange for his plea, charges related to the threats made against Roman the day before her death were dropped. In January 2024, a Sedgwick County District Judge sentenced Kyle DelShawn Young to two consecutive life sentences in prison. Under the terms of his sentence, Young will not be eligible for parole consideration for 100 years.
