A former pastor who preached at the memorial service of a murdered congregation member pleaded guilty Wednesday to being the killer.
Still unclear, however, is whether the victim’s widow played a role in her husband’s death.
David Love had pleaded not guilty in January to first-degree murder, and his trial had been scheduled to begin in December.
But on Wednesday morning, Love pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the 2010 shooting death of Randy Stone, an Independence insurance agent. Jackson Count Circuit Court Judge Robert M. Schieber then sentenced Love to life in prison.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced Love’s pleas during a subsequent press conference outside the Jackson County Courthouse Annex in Independence.
“Justice is served,” Baker said. “But justice is served with a life sentence. We cannot bring (Stone) back.”
Clara Koehler, Stone’s mother, said she was satisfied with Love’s life sentence.
“I don’t believe in the death penalty,” Koehler said. “But he is not going to be able to roam the streets.
“Randy can’t roam them.”
The pleas brought a sudden end to a case that had troubled friends of the Stone family and fascinated television news magazine producers across the country. What remains unknown is how Love’s plea affects the scheduled trial next April of Teresa Stone, Randy Stone’s widow.
Teresa Stone pleaded not guilty in June to charges that she helped plan the killing. Kansas City | Read more
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