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Kristie Lynch Sentenced to 25 Years for Killing Disabled Roommate in Virginia

Prosecutors said she and her husband abused and exploited the man they took in from church.

Overview

  • Lynch, 46, got 25 years in prison, with 25 more years suspended and 25 years of probation, after a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder.
  • Her husband, James Christian Lynch, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May 2025 and is serving a 25-year term.
  • Investigators said the couple beat and strangled 45-year-old Jose Luis Moreno with household items, and an autopsy found he died from strangulation and blunt-force trauma.
  • Police reported they met Moreno at church in 2022, invited him to live with them, and took his disability income as household money while punishing him for chores and for speaking Spanish.
  • Detectives said Moreno likely died on August 9, 2023, that the couple told a pastor two days later before calling police, and that blood spatter and missing carpet showed a cleanup attempt.