Police say the case began as an aggravated battery investigation and became a first-degree murder case after Ivy Unruh died.

WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita man is charged with premeditated first-degree murder after police say he shot his estranged wife outside her northeast Wichita apartment during a property exchange tied to their pending divorce.

Joshua Orlando, 29, remains in custody in Sedgwick County in the death of Ivy Unruh, 25, a Marine veteran and PBS Kansas broadcast engineer. The charge followed a fast-moving investigation that began the morning of April 17 at the Remington Apartments, where police found Unruh wounded near Building 5. Authorities say the case is being handled as a domestic violence homicide, with court records and an affidavit describing a short encounter that ended in gunfire.

Police said officers were dispatched at 8:03 a.m. to 7272 E. 37th St. after a reported shooting. They found Unruh with a gunshot wound to her upper body and recovered a firearm at the scene. She was taken to a local hospital in grave condition. Orlando, who was married to Unruh but separated from her, was taken into custody at the apartment complex, transported to the Wichita Police Investigations Bureau for an interview and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on an aggravated battery allegation. Unruh died April 20, and prosecutors filed the murder charge the next day. Wichita police said the case remained under investigation after the charge was filed.

The probable cause affidavit places the shooting in a narrow time window after Unruh left her apartment. Investigators wrote that surveillance video showed her leaving at 8:00:15 a.m. and that the gunshot came at 8:00:52 a.m. The 911 call was made 21 seconds after 8:01 a.m. Police say Orlando made that call and described an argument. “My wife and I got into a fight,” the caller said, according to the affidavit. He later said he had come to drop off items and that Unruh “got really mad” he was there. The words broke off at points in the account, but the caller also said, “I shot her, I shot her.”

Investigators say Unruh appeared to be leaving when she was shot. The affidavit says she was found on her back near a stairway, with her head on the bottom step and blood coming from her nose. A black backpack was still on her right shoulder. Her right hand held a plastic bag containing a Nintendo Switch gaming console, and her purse was on her left arm. Police said a black Sig Sauer P365 semiautomatic 9 mm handgun was found near the left side of her body. The charging document also says Orlando cried as emergency workers arrived and asked them to help Unruh. While in handcuffs, he allegedly said, “I know she didn’t mean to hurt me.”

Divorce records cited by investigators show Unruh filed for divorce in August 2025. In the property section of that filing, Unruh said Orlando would keep possession of his pistol and she would keep possession of the Nintendo Switch. Orlando later told police he had contacted Unruh in the days before the shooting about a study night because both were taking classes and could share notes. That contact led to another argument, according to the affidavit. The two then decided their relationship issues could not be fixed, and Orlando was supposed to leave some of Unruh’s property at her door. Police say he instead waited near the foot of the stairs with the Switch in a bag.

Orlando told investigators that when Unruh saw him, she reacted with surprise and anger, and that the two argued after he handed over the console. He claimed Unruh swung the bag containing the Nintendo Switch and hit the left side of his face. He told police the blow hurt, made him see lights and reminded him of a past fight involving a replica Zelda sword after he had thrown a slipper at her. According to the affidavit, Orlando said he pulled out his handgun, used his left arm to cover his face and “blind fired” one round. He said he was not aiming when the shot was fired. Prosecutors, however, charged him with intentional and premeditated first-degree murder.

Other statements collected by police describe Unruh as someone who had tried to separate herself from an abusive relationship. A leasing agent at the apartment complex told investigators that Unruh said she wanted to get away from her abusive ex and was interested in the building’s security features. The leasing agent also said Unruh asked that her former landlord not be contacted because that person was a friend of her ex. Police also interviewed Unruh’s supervisor at PBS Kansas. The supervisor said Unruh had separated from Orlando because of verbal and physical abuse and said she had seen bruises on Unruh in person and in photographs. Orlando told police the pending divorce had several causes, including his claim that Unruh had cheated on him.

Unruh’s death brought grief to the station where she worked and to people who knew her through military service. She served in the Marine Corps from 2020 to 2024 and reached the rank of sergeant while in the Individual Ready Reserve. She had been assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and had received medals including the good conduct medal. PBS Kansas President Victor Hogstrom said he was shocked when he heard Unruh had died. He described her as motivated, trustworthy, smart and dependable. A fundraiser for her family said she was a daughter, sister and friend who served her country with honor and had tried to leave a dangerous situation.

The court case now moves through Sedgwick County District Court. Orlando’s bond was listed at $1.5 million, and he was scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Judge Jeffrey Goering after the murder charge was filed. At that stage, prosecutors must present enough evidence for the case to continue toward trial. Court records reviewed in public reporting did not show that Orlando had entered a plea at the time of the early case updates, and attorneys were not quoted addressing the allegations. Police said the investigation remained active under case number 26C071136.

Currently, Orlando remains accused, not convicted, in Unruh’s death. The next major milestone is the preliminary hearing process in Sedgwick County, where the affidavit, surveillance timing and witness statements are expected to shape the early record.

Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.