Missouri Woman Accused Of Snake Breeder Husbands Murder Claims He Raped Her

A Missouri woman on trial for murdering her snake breeder husband has claimed he was abusive and raped her in her sleep.

Lynlee Renick, 33, is on trial in the city of Columbia, in the southern US state of Missouri, accused of murdering her snake breeder husband Ben Renick, 29, in 2017 to avoid a divorce and so she could land a large insurance payout.

She claimed that her husband had been abusive and that he had raped her in her sleep, when she took the stand on Wednesday 8th December.

Lynlee Renick, accused of killing husband Ben Renick, in 2017, at the trial, in Colombia, USA, on 6th December. (Newsflash)

She said: “He told me, ‘I just can’t believe that you didn’t wake up when I was having sex with you last night’.”

She added: “It just kind of shocked me. I don’t even think I replied to him. I was just standing there staring at him, and continued getting ready.”

It is alleged that the defendant shot her husband dead at his snake breeding business after discovering that he had a USD-1-million (GBP-750,000) life insurance policy and that she was listed as a beneficiary.

Lynlee Renick, accused of killing husband Ben Renick, in 2017, at the trial, in Colombia, USA, on 6th December. (Newsflash)

She allegedly planned to use the proceeds from the payout to attempt to rescue her struggling spa business.

She was reported to the police by an ex-boyfriend and her lawyers claimed that another of her ex-boyfriends, named as Michael Humphrey, actually killed Ben Renick.

Lynlee Renick’s lawyer Tim Hesemann said that his client had been taking out the rubbish when she heard several shots being fired.

Michael Humphrey testifying at the trail of Lynlee Renick, accused of killing husband Ben Renick, in Colombia, USA, on 6th December. (Newsflash)

The lawyers for the defence have argued that the incident took place shortly after Lynlee Renick and Humphrey, who was reportedly found guilty for his involvement in the incident in October with sentencing scheduled for January, visited the victim to discuss divorce.

A key witness in the trial who is not facing charges is Ashley Shaw, who was an employee of Lynlee Renick’s and who made a deal with prosecutors to avoid charges.

Shaw said that Lynlee had told her about an incident during which she woke up to find her husband raping her.

Ben Renick, pictured, was killed in 2017, and owned a snake breeding business, his wife Lynlee Renick, is on trail for his murder, in December, 2021. (Newsflash)

Shaw also said that she was approached by Lynlee about murdering her husband and after a failed poisoning attempt, Shaw alleges that this is when they asked Humphrey to help with the killing.

But Renick denies asking Shaw to help her murder her husband, claiming that she only told her friend about her marital problems. She also denied attempting to poison the victim by putting Percocet in a protein shake.

Humphrey has also reportedly made a deal with prosecutors to have his sentence reduced in exchange for testimony against Lynlee Renick. He had initially been convicted of first-degree murder but he made a deal with the prosecution to testify against the defendant in exchange for his charge being reduced to second-degree murder.

Ben Renick, pictured, was killed in 2017, and owned a snake breeding business, his wife Lynlee Renick, is on trail for his murder, in December, 2021. (Newsflash)

It is alleged that Humphrey was originally supposed to be the gunman but at the last moment, he allegedly gave the gun to the defendant.

Prosecutor Kelly King said that the defendant did not want to divorce her husband because she believed that he would take their children and because she was listed as the only beneficiary on his life insurance policy. The names and ages of the couple’s children have not been revealed.

But Defense lawyer Timothy Hesemann argued that Humphrey and the victim became embroiled in an argument, with Renick claiming his wife was being unfaithful and with Humphrey claiming Renick was being abusive.

Ben Renick, pictured, was killed in 2017, and owned a snake breeding business, his wife Lynlee Renick, is on trail for his murder, in December, 2021. (Newsflash)

The defence is arguing that Humphrey shot the victim and Lynlee Renick was an innocent bystander, with her claiming that she had been outside her husband snake business when she heard gunshots before Humphrey ran out.

She claims that she did not know that Humphrey allegedly had a gun that day and that he was going to shoot her husband.

The trial is ongoing.