Joshua Orlando, 29, of Kansas faces decades in prison after he shot and killed his estranged wife during an argument about a console video game system, amid a relationship marked by a history of abuse.
This week, Joshua Orlando pleaded guilty to felony murder in the first degree and aggravated kidnapping over the death of 25-year-old Ivy Unruh, Sedgwick County court records show.
The shooting occurred at the Remington Apartments on East 37th Street North in Wichita, according to the Wichita Police Department.
On the morning of April 17, local and county law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting. A few minutes past 8 a.m., officers found Unruh near “Building 5,” suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body. They also discovered a gun nearby. Responders rushed the victim to a hospital, where she died a few days later.
Orlando himself made the 911 call that day, according to court documents Hutchinson-based CBS affiliate KWCH recently obtained. In that call, the defendant allegedly made several telltale statements about what led to the fatal violence.
“My wife and I got into a fight,” the 911 caller says at one point. “She hit me … with a …”
Though the verbal explanation is not complete, the man identified as Orlando continued to describe the day.
“I came to drop some stuff off and she got really mad that I was there,” the caller says, according to a probable cause affidavit. “We were arguing and she hit me. She hit me and I tried to defend myself. I thought she was going to swing again with…”
Again, the words trailed off — but the man later admits to shooting Unruh.
“I shot her, I shot her,” the caller says, according to the affidavit.
As law enforcement arrived, officers placed Orlando into handcuffs, but he implored emergency medical services to help Unruh, authorities said. Amid these last-ditch requests, the defendant, through tears, allegedly said: “I know she didn’t mean to hurt me.”
The charging document describes the crime scene in detail.
The victim lay on her back with her head on the bottom step of a stairway, blood coming out of her nose, law enforcement said.
A black backpack was strapped to Unruh’s right shoulder; her right hand clutched a plastic bag containing a Nintendo Switch gaming console, and her purse hung on her left arm.
She was apparently ready to leave.
Orlando had apparently dropped a black Sig Sauer P365 semiautomatic 9 mm handgun on the left side of her body, authorities said.
Investigators obtained a statement from the leasing agent at the victim’s apartment complex, who said that when Unruh rented the unit, she said she wanted to get away from her abusive ex and was interested in the building’s security features.
The leasing agent went on to say that Unruh had asked her not to contact her former landlord because that person was a friend of her ex, according to the affidavit.
In August 2025, Unruh filed for divorce, records cited by the TV station show. Notably, in one section of the divorce petition regarding distribution of assets, Unruh said Orlando would maintain possession of his pistol while she would maintain possession of the Switch.
Orlando, for his part, said the impending divorce had multiple causes, including that Unruh had cheated on him, according to police.
In the days leading up to the shooting, the defendant said he contacted the victim about a study night since they both attended classes and could share notes, according to law enforcement. That invitation, however, led to yet another argument and, finally, a decision that their relationship issues could not be fixed — and with plans for Orlando to leave some of Unruh’s property at her door.
Instead, on the day of the shooting, the defendant went to Unruh’s apartment and waited at the foot of the stairs with the Switch in a bag, Orlando told police, according to the affidavit. Then, when she saw him, she allegedly said: “Holy s—!” and made an angry face.
The man handed over the console, and a final argument ensued, he said. Then, at some point, Unruh allegedly “swung the bag with the Nintendo and struck him on the left side of his face.”
Orlando said the blow hurt, made him see lights, and brought back an unwanted memory of a time when Unruh attacked him in reprisal with a replica Zelda sword after he threw a slipper at her.
After being hit, Orlando pulled out his handgun, used his left arm to cover his face, and “blind fired” a single round, according to the affidavit.
Now, the defendant faces a minimum sentence of 38 years and nine months in state prison before he is eligible for parole.
Orlando is slated to be sentenced on Aug. 28.
Leave a Reply