SEDGWICK COUNTY — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a homeless man charged with killing a 72-year-old Kansas woman during a sexual assault, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
In December, 56-year-old John Pepper was charged in Sedgwick County District Court with capital murder in the death of Rita Golden. Prosecutors allege her death occurred during the commission of an aggravated criminal sodomy.
Pepper had been jailed on burglary and theft charges stemming from an unrelated incident. Golden was found unresponsive in her home in July of 2019.
A doctor listed her cause of death as high blood pressure combined with an irregular heartbeat — adding that injuries to her body would have resulted in severe stress, causing the cardiac arrhythmia. She had multiple blunt force trauma injuries and possible asphyxia by smothering, as well as emphysema and lung conditions.
The autopsy report said Golden had been letting a homeless man stay in her yard and that he would occasionally come inside to eat or sleep. The report said Wichita police found the homeless man hiding in a bedroom closet.
Prosecutors allege in court documents that “the victim was particularly vulnerable due to age, infirmity, or reduced physical or mental capacity.”
Prosecutors can pursue the death penalty in a capital murder case. Pepper is jailed on a $1 million bond in the case, and has an additional $50,000 bond in the other case, according to online jail records.