A Norfolk woman will spend the next 25 years in prison for her role in the brutal 2023 slaying of a disabled roommate who had been taken in by her family through their church. Kristie Marie Lynch, 46, was sentenced Friday, April 3, following her September 2025 conviction for the first-degree murder of 45-year-old Jose Luis Moreno.
The sentencing brings an end to a harrowing case that investigators say involved the prolonged torture of a vulnerable man. Moreno, who relied on a walker due to a disability affecting his ankles, moved in with Kristie and her husband, James Christian Lynch, in 2022.
While he contributed to the household using his Supplemental Security Disability Income, prosecutors revealed the living arrangement was defined by violence. James Lynch admitted the couple frequently “punished” Moreno physically for his inability to perform chores and for speaking his native Spanish…