Ivy Unruh, 25, died three days after police found her wounded outside a northeast Wichita apartment complex.
WICHITA, Kan. — A 29-year-old Wichita man has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder after police said his separated wife, Ivy Unruh, a PBS Kansas broadcast engineer and Marine Corps veteran, died Monday from a shooting outside her northeast Wichita apartment.
The case has moved from an emergency shooting call to a murder prosecution in less than a week. Wichita police said Joshua Orlando was taken into custody at the scene Friday, first booked on an aggravated battery allegation and later rebooked after Unruh died. Prosecutors filed the murder charge Tuesday as co-workers, relatives and friends described Unruh as a young veteran trying to build a new life after military service.
Police said officers were dispatched at 8:03 a.m. April 17 to a reported shooting at 7272 E. 37th St., the address of the Remington Apartments in northeast Wichita. Officers found Unruh near Building 5 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 police said was married to Unruh but separated from her, was detained at the apartment complex, taken to the Wichita Police Investigations Bureau for an interview and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. Unruh died April 20. The next morning, police presented the case to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for formal charging.
PBS Kansas President Victor Hogstrom said Unruh had worked at the station for about a year and a half and had the technical background needed for a broadcast engineering role. He said she brought experience in radio frequency and satellite communications from the Marine Corps and was trusted by co-workers who depended on her to help keep the station operating. “Ivy did all of the right things,” Hogstrom said, recalling that she worked well with others and handled assignments without hesitation. Hogstrom said employees had known about concerns involving Orlando before the shooting. “She filed for a divorce, she moved out,” he said. The station had made a safety plan, including a code phrase to be announced if Orlando appeared there, he said.
The public record still leaves major questions unanswered. Police have not released a probable cause affidavit describing what they believe happened in the moments before the shooting. They also have not said whether anyone else saw the gunfire, what Orlando told investigators or whether the couple had arranged to meet at the complex that morning. Reporting from the scene said Orlando called 911 to report the shooting. Wichita police have described the case as tied to domestic violence, and court records cited in national coverage say the complaint alleges Orlando intentionally and with premeditation killed Unruh in a domestic violence offense. Police said the investigation remains open.
Unruh’s death also brought attention to her military service. The Marine Corps said she served from 2020 to 2024 and reached the rank of sergeant while in the Individual Ready Reserve. She was last assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and had received awards including good conduct medals. Friends and relatives described her as more than a veteran and said she was a daughter, sister and friend who brought warmth to others. A family fundraiser said she “served her country with honor, strength and selflessness” and had shown courage in leaving a dangerous situation. Her family later said she was an organ donor and that six people received life-saving transplants because of that decision.
The shooting has shaken PBS Kansas, where Hogstrom said staff members met after Unruh’s death and struggled to absorb the loss. “People were crying and not happy,” he said. “You know, it’s sad, and we’ll miss her.” He said Unruh made significant contributions to the station and that her supervisor would help make sure her memory did not fade. The killing also echoed wider concerns in Wichita about domestic violence. The Wichita Family Crisis Center has reported a sharp rise in crisis hotline calls over the past three years, and Kansas data for 2024 counted dozens of domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement each day. Maggie Donley, the center’s development director, said the case was “absolutely heartbreaking” and came as local advocates reported seeing more severe violence.
Orlando made his first court appearance Tuesday, according to court coverage, and remained jailed in Sedgwick County. Some early jail records listed a $300,000 bond, while later court reporting listed bond at $1.5 million. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 5, when prosecutors are expected to begin outlining evidence supporting the first-degree murder charge. Court records reviewed in national coverage said Orlando had not entered a plea as of Wednesday, and no public statement from his defense had been reported. The charge is an accusation, and Orlando is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
For Unruh’s family, the days after the shooting have mixed grief with the final acts tied to her organ donation and funeral planning. Relatives said they were overwhelmed by the number of people who loved her and by the effort to gather in Kansas after she was hospitalized. Friends described a young woman whose future had seemed wide open after military service and whose technical skills had found a home at public television. At the apartment complex, the case began with a morning call for help. By the following week, it had become a homicide case carrying the most serious murder charge available under Kansas law.
As of Thursday, April 23, Orlando remained in custody, the police investigation was still open and the next scheduled court milestone was the May 5 preliminary hearing in Sedgwick County.
Author note: Last updated April 23, 2026.