Wyandotte County District Judge Thomas L. Boeding sentenced Kyle Cavaness, who was convicted by a jury last April on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Cavaness received a life term for the first-degree murder charge.

According to Chris Schneider, assistant Wyandotte County attorney, the earliest Cavaness could be eligible for parole on the life sentence is 25 years.

Cavaness also received a 123-month sentence on the conspiracy charge. That term is to be served after he is eligible for parole on the life sentence, Schneider said.

The judge also sentenced Cavaness to 165 months on the aggravated kidnapping conviction. That term will run concurrent with the other two prison terms, Schneider said.

Authorities said that on Oct. 10, 2002, Cavaness and four other people beat to death Deangelo Wheeler, 25, Kansas City, Kan., at a home in the 4700 block of Crest Drive in Kansas City, Kan.

Wheeler’s body was found by Leavenworth County and Overland Park water rescue teams in the Kansas River, near the bridge that joins De Soto and southern Leavenworth County.

In addition to Cavaness, a 2001 Basehor-Linwood High School graduate, four other people have been convicted for their role in the murder:

• Robert Buehler-May, Overland Park, was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. He will be sentenced Sept. 5. Kansas sentencing guidelines call for a mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder convictions. The judge will determine whether Buehler-May will have the possibility of parole after 15 or 25 years of incarceration if at all.
• Ryan Goldenberg, Kansas City, Kan., has been sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping;
• Michael Dressler and Alisha Gray, both of Kansas City, Kan., each pleaded guilty to aiding a felon and were given probation terms.

Authorities say Wheeler was murdered at a house where Dressler and Gray lived. Police found evidence of foul play in the house including the victim’s blood, authorities said.