'Truly shocking': Couple killed disabled lodger by beating him with frying pan while strangling him with dog leash after punishing him for not doing chores on time

A Virginia pistillate has learned her destiny for the humiliating tag-team execution of a lodger she killed with her husband's help.

In September 2025, Kristie Lynch, 46, was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage of her peers successful Norfolk connected 1 number of murder successful the archetypal degree implicit the decease of 45-year-old Jose Moreno. The period prior, her husband, James Lynch, 53, pleaded blameworthy to second-degree execution successful the case.

And for the aforesaid crime, contempt orders of degree, and antithetic paths to guilt, the mates were each sentenced to walk 25 years successful prison.

James Lynch was sentenced past year. Kristie Lynch was yet sentenced connected Friday by Norfolk Circuit Court Judge David Lannetti.

The unfortunate met the since-condemned brace astatine their religion successful 2022. They past invited him to unrecorded astatine their flat due to the fact that helium had "nowhere to go." Moreno suffered from a carnal disablement that required him to usage a walker. In instrumentality for surviving with them, the Lynches required the disabled antheral to usage a information of Supplemental Security Disability Income for rent and lend to chores astir the house.

But determination were consequences for nonaccomplishment to abide by location rules.

The hubby would aboriginal admit helium and his woman physically "punished" Moreno connected respective occasions due to the fact that helium did not wage the rent connected time, and due to the fact that helium did not implicit household chores arsenic expected.

The boarder was adjacent punished erstwhile helium dared to talk to his ain household connected the telephone utilizing Spanish – successful those instances, helium would beryllium beaten and person his telephone taken away, authorities said.

In the days starring up to the murder, James Lynch bushed the unfortunate with a frying pan, bashing successful his head. The hubby past refused to instrumentality Moreno to the infirmary due to the fact that helium did not privation to beryllium arrested. The mates besides deed the unfortunate with a shot bat and strangled him with a loop and canine leash. Prosecutors judge Moreno died connected Aug. 9, 2023.

"This lawsuit is 1 of the astir heinous ways to execution idiosyncratic that I could imagine," Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Emily Woodley said during the sentencing, according to a courtroom study by The Virginian-Pilot.

For 2 days, the slain man's corpse remained successful the residence due to the fact that the Lynches were reticent astir reporting his death. Finally, they called 911 aft speaking to a pastor astir the situation.

The Norfolk Police Department responded to their flat connected Mariner's Way and recovered Moreno's bare assemblage astatine the bottommost of a staircase underneath a blanket. The unfortunate was covered successful bruises and cuts and had ligature marks connected his neck. An autopsy determined Moreno died from a operation of strangulation and blunt unit trauma. The mates were arrested days aft the murder.

The Lynches told investigators an statement turned carnal and they some deed him with a frying cookware and past bushed him connected the caput and knees with the shot bat, according to tribunal documents obtained by Hampton-based ABC affiliate WVEC. The killers besides admittedly placed a "dog leash astir his neck" and "to causing victim's injuries."

Kristie Lynch told constabulary that Moreno had assaulted her that time by making non-consensual interaction implicit her cloth. She past challenged her hubby to "man up," "grow a set" and "go instrumentality attraction of your boy," according to prosecutors.

James Lynch claimed that erstwhile helium attacked, the unfortunate began to footwear him and combat him off. Moreno "was possessed with a 'demon'-like spot and would not beryllium subdued," helium claimed, contempt being astir a ft taller and much than treble Moreno's weight.

Inside the apartment, investigators recovered humor each over. Telltale marks of crimson were spattered connected walls, floors and the ceiling of the room arsenic good arsenic the stairwell into the hallway connected the 2nd floor.

"The connection 'shocking' has been overused but the suffering that they Lynches inflicted connected Mr. Moreno – a disabled antheral they claimed to person been 'helping' and who had 'nowhere to go' – is genuinely shocking," Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said successful a statement. "It is imaginable to termination different idiosyncratic successful an instant utilizing a gun, but to bushed and strangle different idiosyncratic to decease takes superior carnal exertion and a sustained determination to inflict symptom and to kill."

In the end, the authorities requested the hubby and woman beryllium sentenced to the aforesaid magnitude of clip successful prison. The tribunal obliged.

Kristie Lynch, for her part, has maintained she did not instrumentality portion successful the killing. Her lawyer cited a beingness of hardships during the proceeding – including carnal and intelligence illness.

The suspect offered a terse allocution.

"I anticipation someday that they (Moreno's family) tin find it successful their bosom to forgive me," she told the court, speaking softly connected Friday.

David Harris contributed to this report.