Judge keeps Lynlee Renick from collecting husband’s inheritance
MONTGOMERY CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) -
A Montgomery County judge agreed to bar a woman convicted of killing her husband from collecting any part of his inheritance.
Judge Richard Scheibe ruled Thursday that Lynlee Renick cannot earn any money or property from Ben Renick's remaining estate.
A court-appointed guardian of Ben's assets asked the judge on Aug. 8 to bar Lynlee from collecting from the prolific snake breeder's estate. A jury convicted Lynlee in December of second-degree murder and armed criminal action for Ben's 2017 death. She and ex-boyfriend Michael Humphrey killed Ben at his snake farm, while each of them blames the other for pulling the trigger.
Administrator Carla Wood Tanzey argued that Lynlee's "misconduct" kept her from collecting property or estate allowances. She asked that Ben and Lynlee's daughter be considered the sole heir to Ben's estate.
Court records do not show how much Ben's remaining assets are worth. An ABC 17 News investigation previously found that Ben Renick had sold thousands of his snakes to NHL goaltender Robin Lehner for $1.2 million. The reptile business and Lehner settled a court dispute coming out of Ben's death on undisclosed terms. Lynlee Renick sold their Montgomery County property in 2018 for $740,000.
Ben's brother, Sam Renick, told ABC 17 News that the family was grateful Judge Scheibe stopped Lynlee from being able to collect anything from the estate.
