On a tragic July evening in 2019, the life of 25-year-old Elsy Puente was cut short in her south Wichita home. Responding to a call around 8:30 p.m. on July 16th, police discovered Puente inside her residence in the 3100 block of South Elizabeth with a fatal gunshot wound to her upper body. She was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Present in the home at the time of the shooting were her four young children, aged 2, 3, 5, and 8, who were unharmed and are now in the care of family members.
The initial investigation led to the swift arrest of Elsy's 29-year-old boyfriend, Victor Manuel Castro, at the scene. Authorities stated the shooting occurred following a "domestic violence disturbance" between the couple. Castro was subsequently booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of second-degree reckless murder and criminal possession of a firearm. According to court documents, both Puente and Castro had been drinking on the day of the incident. One of Puente's children reportedly told investigators that the couple had been arguing over text messages she had received.
Victor Castro's account of the events leading to Puente's death described a tragic accident. He claimed that Elsy had been waving a gun around and that it discharged when he attempted to grab it from her, striking her in the chest and injuring his own finger in the process. Despite his plea of innocence regarding the murder charge, the case proceeded to a four-day trial in May 2022. Prosecutors argued that Castro had shot Puente "unintentionally but recklessly." After less than two hours of deliberation, a Sedgwick County jury acquitted Castro of second-degree murder. However, during the trial, he did plead guilty to a charge of criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, as he was legally barred from owning a firearm due to prior convictions.
