SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man is going to prison for the stabbing death of his disabled cousin.
On Wednesday, District Judge Jeffrey Syrios sentenced Jason Payne, 41 of Wichita, to 19-years in prison for the death of 52-year-old Michael Montgomery who was disabled and in a wheelchair, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett.
On January 13, 2021, officers were called to the intersection of 13th and Oliver in Wichita and found Payne lying in the lanes of traffic. He told an officer that he had killed his cousin. Police went to Payne’s apartment in the 900 block of N. Oliver and found an empty wheelchair and several discarded latex gloves. In a crawl space, officers discovered a black, nylon duffel bag containing the body ofMontgomery.
An autopsy showed the victim had died of multiple stab wounds to the head and torso. Payne admitted to police he became angry with his cousin when Michael told him he had molested some people in the past. Payne said he got a “throwing knife” out of his room and began stabbing his cousin. He said he continued to drink and do drugs until the time he decided to surrender himself for the murder.
On July 29, 2022 Payne pled guilty to a charge of 2nd degree murder.