Missouri woman sentenced in death of snake breeder husband

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A woman convicted of killing her husband at his snake-breeding business in central Missouri has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Lynlee Renick was sentenced Monday to 13 years for second-degree murder and three years for armed criminal action, to be served consecutively.

A Boone County jury recommended that sentence when it convicted Renick of killing her husband, Benjamin Renick, in June 2017 at his rare and exotic snake business in New Florence.

During the trial, prosecutors sought a life sentence. Renick’s attorneys argued Monday for a lighter sentence, saying the killing was not premeditated.

A co-defendant, Michael Humphrey, was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison for first-degree murder in Benjamin Renick’s death.