NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)– Kristie Marie Lynch, 46, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for her role in helping her husband, 43-year-old James Christian Lynch, kill their disabled roommate in 2023.
According to documents, the Lynch’s met the victim, 45-year-old Jose Luis Moreno, through a church in 2022. They invited him to live with them at their Mariner’ Way apartment because he had “nowhere to go. Moreno received a Supplemental Security Disability Income due to him having a disability that caused weakness in his ankles and required him to use a walker. Moreno used that income to contribute to the Lynch’s household finances.
Documents revealed the Lynch’s would physically harm Moreno on multiple occasions for not contributing to household chores due to his disability and for speaking in Spanish, which was Moreno’s native language. Days leading to Moreno’s death, Kristie Lynch struck him in the head several times with a frying pan, gashing his scalp. The couple refused to take him to the hospital because they did not want to be arrested.
Officials say it is unclear exactly when the Lynch’s murdered Moreno but believe he died on August 9, 2023 after the couple severely beat and strangled him using a number of household implements, including the frying pan, a belt, a baseball bat, and a dog leash. On August 11, the couple reported Moreno’s death to a local pastor who urged them to call the police…