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Inset left: Joshua Orlando (Sedgwick County Jail). Inset right: Ivy Unruh (GoFundMe). Background: The apartment complex where Unruh was shot and killed in Wichita, Kan. (Google Maps).
A Kansas resident has been arrested following the fatal shooting of his estranged wife, according to local authorities in the Sunflower State.
Joshua Orlando, 29, is facing charges of first-degree murder that was both intentional and premeditated in connection with the death of 25-year-old Ivy Unruh, as documented by Sedgwick County court records.
The tragic event unfolded on the morning of April 17 at the Remington Apartments situated on East 37th Street North in Wichita, as detailed in a press release from the Wichita Police Department.
Responding to reports of a shooting, multiple law enforcement agencies, including the local police, the Bel Aire Police Department, and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, arrived at the scene, according to the police department.
Shortly after 8 a.m., officers discovered Unruh near “Building 5” with a gunshot wound to her upper body. A firearm was also located at the scene, authorities reported.
The victim was then rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police made quick work of the investigation.
Orlando, who is described as “married to but separated from the victim,” was taken into custody at the apartment complex.
“He was transported to the Wichita Police Investigations Bureau for an interview and later booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on a charge of aggravated battery,” the press release reads.
On April 20, however, Unruh succumbed to her injuries.
Following the woman’s death, the defendant was rebooked into jail and his case was presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal charges the next day, police said.
Unruh worked for PBS Kansas as a broadcast engineer.
Her coworkers said they were blindsided by her death in comments to Wichita-based ABC affiliate KAKE.
“I heard about it and I was first informed, and the first thing I did was slam the desk with my two hands — bang, what?” PBS Kansas President Victor Hogstrom said. “That was my reaction. I couldn’t believe it.”
The network’s president recalled the slain woman’s work ethic.
“She was very motivated,” Hogstrom said. “She was trustworthy. She worked with people well. She was smart and very intelligent. She was a good employee. We’re all missing her from here, a very dependable person.”
Details are scarce on what precipitated the fatal shooting. Investigators are reportedly treating the case as domestic violence.
In a GoFundMe for funeral and memorial expenses, Unruh’s family made note of her former service in the U.S. Marine Corps — and suggested she had experienced domestic violence in the past.
“She served her country with honor, strength, and selflessness,” the online fundraiser reads. “To those who knew her, she was more than a Marine—she was a daughter, a sister, and a friend who brought light into the lives of others. She had the courage to walk away from a dangerous situation, yet tragically, her life was still taken.”
On Tuesday, Orlando was formally charged and made his first court appearance. He is being detained on $1.5 million bond and is next slated to appear in court on May 5 for a preliminary appearance.