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The Snake He Didn’t See Coming

The Snake He Didn’t See Coming

          On June 8th, 2017, a 911 call started an investigation in Montgomery County, Missouri. In New Florence, Missouri, a small rural community in the midwestern United States, a twenty-nine-year-old man lay face down in a snake-breeding facility he ran with his wife. His brother, the initial 911 caller, met police and comforted his brother’s widow. Certainly, Sam offered, his brother had been killed by one of his thousands of snakes. The worst part, there was no way to tell where the venomous creature was now.

          It didn’t take investigators much investigating, however, to find a shell casing and determine that the massive blood loss under Ben Renick’s body was from multiple gun shots. Ben Renick was not the victim of one of his own snakes, but rather the victim of homicide. The initial assumption that Ben must have been killed by snake was quickly replaced by a darker reality. A bullet casing on a shelf near the body confirmed the investigators’ suspicion.

          Benjamin Blue-Brich Renick was born on August 4th, 1987, to Charlene and Frank Renick in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the youngest of two boys, growing up on his parents’ rural property in New Florence. Ben and his older brother, Sam, were very close. Ben became interested in reptiles, particularly snakes, at a very early age. As he grew into an adult, he made this his career and opened Renick Reptiles on the family property. He also collected horror movie memorabilia and played the drums.

 

          Ben married Lynlee Jo Gallatin on April 13th, 2014. In 2011, Lynlee and Ben started dating and she moved in with him at the family farm. Lynlee already had a young son, which Ben raised as his own. By 2014, they had their own child together and were married. Lynlee went on to massage school, graduating in 2016. With the profits of Renick Reptiles, which had become a world-renowned snake breeding facility, Lynlee opened her own spa in nearby Columbia, Missouri.


          Ben and Sam’s mother had died of illness in 2008, which devastated the family. In fact, the loss of his mother is something that Ben and Lynlee had bonded over as they had both shared the grief of losing a parent. The grief was overwhelming to their father. Their father, Frank, was lost in the grief of losing his wife and the stress of financial mismanagement that could result in criminal charges. In 2012, Frank Renick committed suicide. He left the property entirely to Ben Renick.

          Ben Renick had been shot multiple times. Who would want the 29-year-old snake breeder dead? Who would have motive? Detectives spoke with Lynlee and Sam first. Lynlee told investigators that Sam and Ben had been having arguments recently about the property. According to Lynlee, Sam was upset that he did not inherit 50% of the property. Ben was not willing to give his brother a portion of the property, leading to tensions between the two.

          Now a potential suspect, Sam was brought in for questioning. His initial insistence that a snake must have killed his brother increased the detectives’ suspicions. Sam, however, adamantly denied having anything to do with his brother’s death. He took a polygraph examination, which he passed. He was also able to provide a rock-solid alibi: he was at work at the time when Ben had been murdered.

          As detectives looked deeper into Ben’s personal life, they had to consider if anyone wanted revenge for Frank Renick’s mismanagement of money. There was no evidence to support this theory, however. Robbery was not a motive as no money or snakes were missing. Further investigations reveal that the marriage between Lynlee and Ben may not have been as perfect as it seemed from the outside and on social media. In fact, Lynlee had quite a few secrets.

          Lynlee’s spa in Columbia was not performing well and was deeply in debt. The original funds to open and support the spa were provided by Ben’s business. Ben’s reptile business was doing very well, recently securing a deal worth over a million dollars. While the couples’ daily needs would be met by Ben’s income, Lynlee’s business was failing. Was Ben aware of how poorly the spa was doing?

          Lynlee stated that when she left the spa on the day of June 8th, she received a call from the daycare center stating Ben had not picked up the children. She went to the farm, arriving at the barn where Renick Reptiles is located. That is where she found her husband’s dead body. The first call she made was to Sam, not 911. Sam came to the barn and called 911.

          A review of Ben’s social medial accounts revealed that Ben and Lynlee argued often. Ben suspected Lynlee of having an affair. She would often take her phone to the bathroom and do other things that caused him to suspect her. They had frequent arguments. He was also growing frustrated with the amount of money invested into the spa in Columbia. Suddenly, the picture-perfect image Lynlee painted was shattered.

          Over 20,000 pages of text messages and social media messages revealed a tumultuous marriage. Lynlee was asked to come back in for another interview. This time, Lynlee admitted to having an affair. She admitted to an affair with a man named Eric who did marketing for her spa. Eric had a rock-solid alibi and was not involved in the homicide. Investigators, however, were not convinced that Eric was the only person Lynlee was having an affair with. A search warrant for her phone proved their suspicions correct. The second affair partner, Brandon, was brought in for questioning. He too, however, was also not involved in t


he homicide and provided a rock-solid alibi.

          The phone records revealed a pattern of calls and messages with a number belonging to a man named Mike. On June 19th, Lynlee came in for another interview. Lynlee claimed that one of her employees, Ashley, asked her if she knew someone who did audio work, so she referred her to her ex-boyfriend Mike. She said that Mike wanted to get a massage and Ashley wanted work done to her vehicle. She said she didn’t think they were connected to Ben’s death at all.

          In July, investigators were finally able to speak with Mike. Mike stated he was Lynlee’s ex-boyfriend. Mike dated her about 10 years ago, according to his statement. He confirmed Lynlee’s story, stating that Lynlee asked him to help Ashley do work on her vehicle. Police were suspicious, however. Why would you call an ex-boyfriend from ten years ago to do stereo work for a friend?

          Investigators, meanwhile, receive a call from the life insurance company handling Lynlee Renick’s claim. They wanted to know if Lynlee Renick is a suspect in the case. She was, so the million dollar pay out was held. According to the insurance company, Lynlee started trying to cash in on the policy within hours of Ben’s death. Furthermore, within weeks of Ben’s death, Lynlee placed the family farm and Renick Reptiles up for sale.

          As summer turned to fall, investigators continued to search for evidence that would bring justice to Ben Renick’s loved ones. Lynlee Renick publicly started dating affair partner #2 and became pregnant. A court battle between Lynlee and Sam Renick ensued over the family property. The venomous nature of Lynlee Renick was becoming much clearer to Sam Renick. Lynlee won her court case and sold the Renick farm for $740,000.

          In January 2020, Lynlee’s boyfriend was arrested for violating a restraining order against her after a tumultuous relationship. At that time, he told investigators that Lynlee had admitted to him that she had first tried to kill Ben a week before his death. He said that Lynlee put Percocet in his food, trying to overdose him. Ben’s social media demonstrated he did get violently sick a week before his death, supporting the theory. The boyfriend went on to say that Lynlee called Mike, an ex-boyfriend, a week later claiming domestic violence in hopes that he would kill Ben for her.

          Police brought Michael Humphrey back in. He admitted that he had been there with Lynlee that day on June 8th, 2017. He said that Lynlee told him Ben was abusive to her. He was willing to go with her to confront Ben. He admitted to getting Lynlee a gun the week before. He claimed he didn’t know that Lynlee brought the gun that afternoon to the house. He said that when they arrived at the barn, Lynlee introduced him to Ben and then suddenly Lynlee was shooting. He said he ran out the door, but Lynlee kept shooting then ran to the car stating, “We got to go, we got to go”.

          Ashley Shaw, the spa employee, was also arrested. She admitted to helping Lynlee secure the Percocet she attempted to kill Ben with. She also helped find Michael Humphrey. When Lynlee was killing her husband, Ashley was using Lynlee’s phone at the spa to establish Lynlee’s alibi. Ashley agreed to testify against Lynlee for immunity. Ashley states that she believed Lynlee was a victim of domestic violence.

          Lynlee Renick was arrested January 16th, 2020. She initially refused to make a statement. Michael Humphrey went to trial first in 2021. Although he claimed he didn’t pull the trigger, his involvement caused him to get a first-degree murder conviction and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After conviction, Michael agreed to tell police where the murder weapon was if he was granted the possibility of parole. The deal was granted. The murder weapon was found prior to Lynlee’s trial.

          During Lynlee’s trial, Ashley and Michael both testified against Lynlee. Although this crime was premeditated and greed was certainly the motive, Lynlee Renick was only convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced to sixteen years in prison. The outcome seems unjust to say the least. Ben Renick was a reptile expert, but Lynlee was the snake he didn’t see coming.

Lynlee is eligible for parole in December 2034

REFERENCES

Snapped: Lynlee Renick

 
 
 

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