Umar Dutt Pleads Guilty to First-degree Murder in the Stabbing Death of Psychiatrist Dr. Achutha Reddy in Kansas

A Kansas man pleaded guilty to felony first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his doctor on Sept. 13, 2017. Umar Dutt, now 25, who was a patient of Dr. Achutha Reddy, killed the specialist near his office.

Local news reports, citing the Sedgwick County District Attorney, said that Dutt went to Reddy’s office in 2017 “to confine Dr. Reddy and hurt him.”

An office manager reportedly separated the two men, and the doctor tried to escape. Dutt pursued Reddy and followed him to an alley behind the business. According to an affidavit released by officials in October 2017, Dutt stabbed Reddy “approximately 165 times before fleeing.”

Local news media outlets including ksn.com, and kwch.com report the circumstances of the night of the murder, as detailed in the affidavit. Police were first alerted to the stabbing at 7:20 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2017. When officers arrived they found Reddy “outside of the building on the ground,” with “multiple stab wounds, blunt force trauma and seemed to have possibly been run over by a vehicle.” Reddy died from his wounds

Police later arrested Dutt in the parking lot of the Wichita Country Club.

According to a report in kwch.com, Dutt’s “plea also brings a life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.” If ever paroled, he will remain on probation for life, the report said.

Although both Dutt’s attorneys and prosecutors said he should serve his sentence at Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility, kwch.com reports that “the ultimate decision will be left up to the Kansas Department of Corrections, not the judge.” Both parties agree Dutt has mental health issues, the report added.

Dutt is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9.

The Wichita Eagle ran a profile on Reddy at the time of his murder. Reddy graduated from medical school in Osmania, India in 1986. He did an internship at St. Louis University in 1994 and his residency at the Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita in 1998. He’s practiced in Wichita for more than two decades and started with Comcare before opening his own practice in 2003.

The Medical Society of Sedgwick County stated at the time of Reddy’s murder: “The Medical Society is heartbroken over the loss of Dr. Reddy,” Denis Knight, president of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County said in the statement. “He had been a member of MSSC since 2000, and his wife, Dr. Beena Reddy, is also a member. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her. Dr. Reddy’s death is a tragic loss to our community.”