Moberly man sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly man will spend 20 years in prison without parole after pleading guilty Friday in the killings of two men in December 2018.

Christopher Esry pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Darren Tharp and Shane Hare during what investigators characterized as a drug robbery, according to online court records. He was sentenced to 20 years on each count, to be served concurrently, under an agreement with prosecutors.

Another defendant in the case, Aaron Bloss, told investigators that Esry shot the man to death during a methamphetamine deal outside Bud's Place in Moberly. Bloss told investigators that Esry had planned to rob Tharp and Hare at gunpoint.

Another defendant, Steven Bell, pleaded guilty in September to tampering with evidence and was sentenced to four years in prison without parole.

The cases against Bloss and Travis Koenig, another defendant, are ongoing. Both men are charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree robbery.