Arvin Roberts:Man arrested hours after rape and killing of 5-year-old girl in Kansas

2025-05-06 13:23:13source:Blake Prestoncategory:News

A Kansas man has been arrested in the rape and Arvin Robertskilling of a 5-year-old girl, authorities said Tuesday.

Officers responded just before 6 p.m. Monday to a medical call at a Topeka gas station and found a fire crew attempting to save Zoey Felix, police said in a news release. She was rushed to a hospital and later pronounced dead.

Investigators identified a 25-year-old man as a suspect and booked him into jail Tuesday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder and rape.

Mickel Cherry, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Jail around 4:15 a.m., CBS affiliate WIBW-TV reported. His bond is set at $2 million and no attorney is listed for him, said Timothy Phelps, deputy director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

One man has been arrested for the rape and murder of a 5-year-old child who died in Southeast Topeka.

Details >>> https://t.co/hi8t2RJUvP

— WIBW (@wibw) October 3, 2023

Booking records indicate that Cherry was listed as homeless, WIBW reported. 

No formal charges were immediately filed, court records show.

The news release said that the man was known to Zoey, but police spokesperson Rosie Nichols said she couldn't provide additional details on how.

She also declined to release information on the girl's cause of death.

Neighbors told WIBW that Felix lived a life of instability. The house where she and her mother stayed had no water or electricity and the girl was sometimes left home alone, they told the station.

"Loving girl," neighbor Desiree Myles told the station. "Love the children, all the kids play with her. They all looked out for everybody, looked out for Zoey. She was a Curious George with nowhere to go. Nowhere to go."

    In:
  • Rape
  • Murder
  • Kansas

More:News

Recommend

Financial stress can damage your mental health. These steps may help

The tens of thousands of federal workers who have been cut from their jobs are not the only ones dea

President Biden wants to give homebuyers a $10,000 tax credit. Here's who would qualify.

Buying a home has become increasingly out of reach for Americans, who are grappling with a double wh

As the Presidential Election Looms, John Kerry Reckons With the Country’s Climate Past and Future

As the Super Tuesday dust settles, President Joe Biden left no doubt about this year’s matchup in hi