Leavenworth man sentenced to 14 years in prison for fiancee’s killing: prosecutors

A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to about 14 years in prison for the killing of his fiancee inside their Leavenworth home in 2019, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Andrew Wieland, of Leavenworth, received a sentence of 166 months for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and interference with law enforcement. He pleaded guilty to the charges in March.

According to prosecutors, police officers were called to the couple’s home on May 30, 2019, in response to a report of an injured person. Heather Wunderlich, 35, was found motionless on the living room floor with injuries to her head and face.

Prosecutors said Wieland appeared frantic when speaking with police and initially said she had fallen down the stairs while he was asleep in bed. He told investigators he awoke and came downstairs to find her in the kitchen, prosecutors said. But blood spatter analysts from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation later determined that the crime scene showed signs of a struggle.

Crime scene investigators concluded that Wunderlich’s head struck a wall upstairs that caused a brain hemorrhage. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be a broken bone in Wunderlich’s throat, prosecutors said.

Investigators also found that Wunderlich appeared to have been washed.

In a statement Wednesday, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said the case “represents our worst fear when someone is in a violent relationship” and encouraged abuse victims to seek help.

“Words can’t express the sorrow we feel for the family, and we know there’s never a sentence long enough,” Thompson said. “We only came to a resolution of this case with the wishes of the family.”

If you or someone you know needs help, the Kansas Crisis Hotline can be reached at 888-END-ABUSE.