In the fall of 2014, the quiet life of a Hispanic male named Godofredo Moreno, age 72, came to a tragic and violent end. On the morning of October 16, he and his wife, Martha, were discovered deceased by their son on the floor of a bedroom in their south Wichita, Kansas, home. The couple, who were known by neighbors as generous people, had suffered what was later determined to be multiple gunshot wounds, a correction from initial reports of stab wounds.
There were no signs that someone had forced their way into the residence.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly revealed that the motive was robbery. The couple's vehicle had been stolen from their home and was discovered later the same day, completely engulfed in flames in a field in the southwestern part of Sedgwick County. The crime was not a random act of violence. Investigators learned that one of the suspects was an acquaintance of the Morenos' son. This connection led them to two individuals, a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old, who were both arrested in the days following the grim discovery. The suspects, who had known each other for years, both had prior criminal records that included violent crimes.
The suspects were identified as Steven Wade Edwards II, who was 19, and 17-year-old Carlos Delacadena-Edwards. According to court documents, the two went to the Moreno residence with the intention of collecting a debt that Edwards claimed the couple's son owed him. When Martha Moreno answered the door, Edwards forced his way inside at gunpoint. He herded her to the bedroom where her husband, Godofredo, was located. He held the couple at gunpoint, demanding money and their car keys before shooting them both. His accomplice waited in the living room during the incident. Edwards then left the home in the couple's vehicle.
Justice for Godofredo and Martha Moreno came through the court system. Steven Wade Edwards II was charged with capital murder, among other offenses. He was ultimately convicted for his role in the murders and received two life sentences, plus an additional ten years in prison. Carlos Delacadena-Edwards, who was charged as an adult despite being a juvenile at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to amended charges including two counts of second-degree intentional murder and aggravated robbery. He was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison. The swift arrests and subsequent convictions brought a measure of closure to a case that had deeply shocked the Wichita community.
