On a tragic night in Wichita, Kansas, a birthday celebration turned into a scene of violence, leaving a young White/Caucasian man dead. Joseph Walter Seabolt, a 20-year-old male, was shot in the lower abdomen in the early morning hours of June 2, 2017. The incident occurred at a duplex in the 1600 block of South Emporia, where a party was being held.
Seabolt was rushed to Wesley Hospital by private vehicle but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly focused on his roommate, 21-year-old Manuel Trotter. The two men lived together in one of the units of the duplex where the party was taking place. Accounts from that night suggest that an altercation had occurred between Seabolt and Trotter, as well as a separate dispute between Seabolt and his brother. At some point during these conflicts, Trotter emerged with a rifle and shot Seabolt once.
Following the shooting, Manuel Trotter was arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County jail. He faced charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling. Trotter claimed that he acted in self-defense. In the subsequent legal proceedings, a jury convicted Trotter of involuntary manslaughter. However, this conviction was later appealed. The appellate court found that cumulative errors during the trial had deprived Trotter of his right to a fair trial. As a result, the conviction for involuntary manslaughter was reversed, and the case was remanded for a new trial.
