Fourth man in deadly 2019 Wichita drug deal gone bad sentenced to 18 years in prison

The last of four men convicted in connection with the 2019 slaying of 33-year-old Jerome Armbeck of Wichita was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Pierce Jackson, 22, of Wichita, was sentenced by state District Judge David Dahl after he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery last July, according to a news release from the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.

On Aug. 19, 2019, Pierce, along with three other people, were part of a group that Wichita police said decided to rob Joshua Armbeck, Jerome’s brother, of his backpack at gunpoint after meeting him to buy an ounce of marijuana for $140, according to previous Eagle reporting.

Jerome Armbeck was killed during a foot chase after his brother called him to help catch the assailants, an affidavit on the case read. His body was found in an open field. First responders performed aid but Armbeck died at the scene, the Eagle previously reported.

“Orlando Howard shot Armbeck several times at the conclusion of a foot chase near Harry and Oliver,” the DA’s release said.

The other three men involved in the shooting previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for the following charges:

▪ Orlando Howard, 19, sentenced to 13 years and 9 months after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated robbery

▪ Marcus Lamar, 23, sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

▪ Tairyce Jones, 21, sentenced to 5 years after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery.

Armbeck’s brother, Joshua, is currently serving three years of probation for attempted distribution of marijuana, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in June 2020.