A man who admitted murdering his wife and leaving her body in a Cooper Township field has been sent to prison for over 26 years.
Kelly Ann (Karl) Stanfill, 36, was shot to death Nov. 18, 2016, in a secluded area south of Plainwell by her husband, Kevin Jacob Stanfill, 40.
According to court records, Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge Pamela L. Lightvoet sentenced Kevin Stanfill Monday, Dec. 4. Stanfill pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to one count of second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement with Kalamazoo County prosecutors.
At an earlier court proceeding, a police officer said Stanfill’s sister had told officers about her brother and his wife getting out of the car they were all riding in on AB Avenue in Cooper Township.
The couple got out of the vehicle, allegedly to take a walk and vent, when the sister heard five shots and only her brother came back.
Police said Kevin Stanfill had kept his sister quiet with threats to murder her, also, but she eventually went to police and took them to Kelly’s body after she hadn’t been seen for about two months.
Stanfill, police said, had been abusive to his wife for years before killing her.
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