Kansas man stabbed estranged wife 60 times with awl in front of their children

WICHITA, Kan. (TCN) -- A 26-year-old man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in front of their children last year has pleaded guilty to felony murder and attempted first-degree murder.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office announced that Edward A. Millan-Volcan pleaded guilty on May 29 to the murder of Sinay Leon-Montoya, 27, and the attempted murder of Germany Torres Figueroa, 25, both of which occurred on July 17, 2025.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Millan-Volcan and Leon-Montoya were in an abusive relationship. According to an affidavit obtained by the outlet, Leon-Montoya had dialed 911 earlier in the day to say that Millan-Volcan was hitting her, choking her, and threatening to kill her and their children. She then told the dispatcher she was going to go back home because something had happened to one of her children. A press release from the Wichita Police Department stated that a language barrier made communication difficult between the dispatcher and Leon-Montoya.

When she returned to her home, Millan-Volcan reportedly forced her, along with her friend Torres Figueroa, to go into a bedroom. There, he stabbed both women.

When police arrived at the home, they found Leon-Montoya on the floor next to a hand tool set that contained a 3-inch scratch awl. She was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. In addition, Torres Figueroa was found outside the home with stab wounds and was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries, which were not life-threatening. Police learned that the stabbings had occurred in front of Millan-Volcan and Leon-Montoya’s two young children.

Police found Millan-Volcan inside the home and detained him. He was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment, according to police.

An autopsy found that Leon-Montoya had been stabbed more than 60 times and that 21 of the puncture wounds penetrated her heart and lungs, the Wichita Eagle reports.

Leon-Montoya was born in Venezuela and moved to the United States in 2023, according to an online obituary. She previously lived in New York before moving to Kansas, where she worked as a shift manager at a McDonald’s restaurant. 

KWCH reports Leon-Montoya moved to the United States in search of a better life for her sons.

According to the DA, Millan-Volcan is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16 and faces a minimum of 38 ¾ years in prison.

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