Kansas Attorney General’s Office

COLBY- A Garden City man charged with a Colby murder today pleaded guilty to charges against him, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

William Andrew Shank, 25, pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree premeditated murder, aggravated arson and aggravated burglary. The charges stemmed from the February 2013 death of 27-year-old Teri L. Morris in Colby. Chief Judge Glenn D. Schiffner accepted Shank’s plea and scheduled sentencing for September 10 at 9 a.m.

Firefighters found Morris gravely wounded when they arrived at her home.

A coroner said Morris, an emergency medical technician, had been stabbed more than 25 times. Prosecutors say Shank and Morris were contesting custody of their infant daughter. The girl was found safe with Shank when he was arrested in Phillips County.

The case was investigated by the Colby Police Department, Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Fire Marshal, Kansas Highway Patrol and Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Assistant Attorneys General Jessica Domme and Nicole Romine of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.