Lynlee Renick is a widow who was convicted for killing her snake breeder husband and sentenced to 16 years in imprisonment.
She was found guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action on Dec. 9 in a four-day trial that gripped the nation’s attention.
The jury had recommended the maximum sentence of 16 years — 13 for the murder conviction and three for armed criminal action — while Renick’s defense had asked for a total of 13 years.
During the sentencing hearing, Boone County Circuit Judge Kevin Crane said under Missouri law, the sentence could not exceed the jury’s recommendation.
Lynlee Renick killed her husband, Ben, in June 2017 while he was tending to his snakes in their New Florence home.
Although the murder took place on the family’s remote farm in Montgomery County, the trial was moved to Boone County. Missouri law allows counties with 75,000 residents or fewer to file for a change of venue.
Originally, Lynlee Renick was charged with murder in the first degree, but during the trial the jury returned a verdict of second-degree murder, deciding that she did not kill her husband with deliberation.
The prosecution said Renick wanted to benefit from her husband’s $1 million life insurance policy and used testimony from two state witnesses who said they helped Renick orchestrate the murder.
One of Renick’s employees said she helped Renick plot the crime during work hours. The second witness was a former boyfriend named Michael Humphrey, who led police to the murder weapon.
The state wrapped up its case by introducing text messages from Renick’s cellphone to argue that she was covering up her crime and showed no remorse.
Who Is Lynlee Renick’s Husband Ben Renick?
Ben Renick, Was a snake breeder who was found dead inside the breeding facility where he kept his snakes.
He specialized in breeding “designer pythons” and anacondas that he sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
Authorities first believed that one of Ben Renick’s snakes was responsible for his tragic death, but his wife, Lynlee Renick, was later accused of killing him in June 2017.
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