KENNETT — A murderer and two child molesters were sentenced to prison in Dunklin County.
Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain said in a press release that Steven Michael Kirkwood, 38, of Malden was sentenced to life in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the Aug. 22, 2020 shooting of Ryan Lehnig in Malden.
Judge Robert Mayer sentenced the defendant after he pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree without an agreement about how long of a sentence he would receive. He was set for a jury trial in May but decided to plea guilty instead of taking his case to trial, Jain said.
Kirkwood was arrested in August 2020 at a Marston hotel after Lehnig’s body was found near the intersection of North Decatur and East Howard, according to previous reports. Lehnig had been shot at a party, law enforcement reported.
Christopher Knuckles, 28, of Kennett, was sentenced to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for statutory rape in the first degree, Jain said. He was also originally set for a trial in May and pleaded guilty without an agreement of how long of a sentence he would receive. No further information will be released to protect the victim due to the nature of the charges.
Additionally, Travis Crane, 32, of Kennett was sentenced to 35 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for statutory sodomy in the first degree. He previously pleaded without an agreement about how long of a sentence he would receive. He was also prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office and received 17 and a half years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons on that case, Jain said. No further information will be released to protect the victim due to the nature of the charges.
Crane also previously received 17 and a half years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for possession of child pornography.