WICHITA, Kan. — A Kansas man has been sentenced this week to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his mother after brutally beating her to death and then inviting his sister over to witness the horrific scene. Kyle L. Romey, 44, was found guilty by a jury for the October 2021 slaying of Denyce Breit, 67, at her home in Sedgwick County.
The deputies who responded to the welfare check discovered the lifeless body of Breit on the living room floor, with evident blunt force trauma.
During the investigation, a chilling 911 call implicated Romey as the perpetrator, with the caller alleging that he was responsible for harming his mother. Romey confessed to his sister that he blacked out during an argument with their mother over vodka and woke up to find her dead.
Alarming behavior from Romey raised concern as he urged his sister to accompany him to their mother’s house, claiming that it might be their last opportunity to spend time together before he went back to prison. Inside the house, the sister found their mother swollen and bruised. Romey tearfully placed a blanket over the deceased woman and gave his sister a broken necklace.
With a prior criminal record that includes aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, as well as multiple convictions for criminal threat and criminal possession of a weapon, Romey was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 653 months.
The devastating loss of Denyce Breit has left her loved ones grieving for an incredible woman known for her compassion and willingness to help others. Her oldest son had passed away previously, and now her daughter finds solace in the belief that her mother is in heaven with him. The tight-knit community mourns this tragic loss and remains haunted by the brutality of the crime committed in their midst.