• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

RIP Ben Renick

Lynlee Renick convicted of second-degree murder of snake breeding husband


A jury of seven women and five men selected from Clay County voted Wednesday to convict Lynlee Renick of second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

She killed her husband, Ben Renick, a well-known Montgomery County snake breeder June 8, 2017. He was shot eight times.

Renick conspired with employees of her Columbia spa Ascensia and an ex-boyfriend to murder Ben Renick.

The jury deliberated for roughly 11 1/2 hours, over Wednesday and Thursday.

Renick was out on her own recognizance throughout the trial and after the reading of the verdict, the state moved to have her bond denied and she was returned to custody before sentencing.

Following the reading of the verdict, Renick was seen sobbing and holding onto one of her defense staff for support.

The employees, Ashley Shaw and Rachel Hunt, testified against Lynlee as part of immunity deals with prosecutors. Ex-boyfriend Michael Humphrey was convicted in October in Audrain County of the crime.

He worked out a deal with prosecutors for a lesser charge and sentence when he provided the location of the murder weapon.


Lynlee Renick, took the stand in her defense Wednesday, alleging it was Humphrey, not her to pull the trigger. She said she never planned to kill her husband, but needed moral support June 8, 2017 to tell Ben she wanted a divorce. Lynlee Renick alleged Ben had recently become physically and sexually abusive to her.

The jury could have found her guilty of first-degree murder but also had the options of second-degree murder, or first- or second-degree involuntary manslaughter under instructions read by Boone County Circuit Judge Kevin Crane.

Ben Renick's brother, Sam, who Lynlee had tried to deflect blame onto after Ben's, was seen thanking investigators and prosecutor Kelly King at the interval between the verdict and sentencing phases of the trial. Sam Renick was present for the entirety of the trial.

Throughout the investigation and this case all Lynlee Renick has done is deflect and lie, special Prosecutor Kevin Zoellner said in his closing argument Wednesday before the jury deliberated its verdict.

After all of the marital problems, financial issues and earlier attempted poisoning they all led to the elaborate plan to kill Ben Renick, he said.

"This was preplanned," Zoellner said, "We know she offered Humphrey money and had encouraged him. Even if she had done it all herself, she still would be guilty of murder in the first degree."

All of the statements of the prosecution witnesses were backed up by other evidence. Lynlee Renick's testimony was not backed up by supporting evidence, Zoellner said. Her actions only to bolster her alleged alibi, he added.

Lynlee Renick's story changed even when talking about it among her co-conspirators, he argued.

"Why didn't she call 911 when she started to worry about not hearing from Ben," Zoellner said. "...Don't be fooled by what (the defense) wants you to believe. Believe the evidence."


Lynlee Renick in a moment of indescribable trauma made poor decisions, her defense attorney Timothy Hesemann.

Lynlee is not a violent person and even prosecution witnesses said this, he said. There was no plan for murder, there was just plans for divorce.

"You don't do favors for first-degree murder. You do favors for helping plan a divorce," Hesemann said, about the assistance of Shaw, Humphrey and Hunt. "...Lynlee has no proficiency in using weapons."

If the investigation into Lynlee Renick was so strong, why did investigators have to resort to threats of jail for her co-conspirators and why did they believe the word of a boyfriend who had bits and pieces of the story — Brandon Blackwell — who is facing stalking charges in relation to Lynlee, Hesemann argued.

"People who want to know what the truth is, would not do what these police officers did," Hesemann said. "Lynlee Renick did not know Ben was going to die that night. The lack of evidence has proved that."


https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/courts/2021/12/09/lynlee-renick-convicted-second-degree-death-husband-snake-breeder-trail-verdict/6430994001/
 
so she might do 7 or 8 then? Michael also got 2nd degree and had life sentence.
justice... smh
 
Didn't she stab him like more than 20x and also put a shotgun extremely close range to his head? It literally blows my mind how she could be out in 7 or 8 years. Makes me sick to my stomach! I would understand if he was abusive or something like that but he was the most standup guy ever... HOWWWW in the world she only get that?! I feel soooo bad for Ben's family.
 
Update from last month

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.

https://abc17news.com/top-stories/2022/08/18/judge-keeps-lynlee-renick-from-collecting-husbands-inheritance/
 
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