A 38-year-old Kansas City woman long suspected in the fatal shooting of KCUR reporter Aviva Okeson-Haberman was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison in a separate federal drug case.
Idella “Lupi” Gardner pleaded guilty in 2024 in a large federal drug-conspiracy and wiretapping case that involved 29 people from a violent street gang. But federal prosecutors cited their belief of Gardner’s involvement in Okeson-Haberman’s killing in urging U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to add years to her sentence.
Kays said he believed Gardner was responsible for Okeson-Haberman’s death, which led him to opt for a variance in the federal guidelines to increase the sentence to 15 years. Gardner, who has been in lockup for four years, denies any involvement in Okeson-Haberman’s death…