WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita father has been formally charged with murder in the drowning death of his 2-year-old son in a neighborhood swimming pool in Wichita.
William K. Kabutu, 44, faces a charge of first-degree felony murder and an alternative count of second-degree murder that alleges the death was unintentional but occurred under reckless circumstances, the Wichita Eagle reported. He is also charged with two counts of aggravated child endangerment.
Police allege Kabutu was intoxicated on July 7 when took the 2-year-old and his 4-year-old brother to the pool and allowed the children to slip through the bars of a fence. The younger child then went into the water, but his father was to large to get through the bars of the pool fence and the gate was locked.
Emergency crews were called after a passerby reported the boy floating in the pool, which is in a mobile home park.
Omari’s aunt, Roslina Foust, told the newspaper that last week was “the first time in months” that the boys had seen their father.
Kabutu remains in jail in lieu of $150,000 bond. A defense attorney did not immediately respond to a message.
The toddler’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
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