A Montgomery County man with a $1 million snake-breeding operation was killed in 2017. His wife's murder trial starts Monday

Ben Renick, a Montgomery County snake breeder who owned more than $1 million worth of snakes, was shot several times June 8, 2017.

Three years later, Renick's wife, Lynlee Jo Renick, and her boyfriend, Michael K. Humphrey, were arrested by the Missouri Highway Patrol, both charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Humphrey was convicted in October in Audrain County. Sentencing is expected Jan. 3.

Lynlee Renick's case starts Monday in the Boone County Circuit Court. Jury selection happened Friday in Clay County.

The twists and turns in the case have led to it being described as the "Snake King" case, a la the Netflix documentary series "Tiger King." In this case, it was the "Snake King" — Ben Renick — who was killed, rather than him being involved in animal endangerment and attempted contract killing like with the "Tiger King" series.

Snake-breeding business was in process of being sold

The night Ben Renick was killed, he had already started the process of selling his stock of snakes, ball pythons and anacondas from Renick's Reptiles to NHL goalie Robin Lehner for $1.2 million, according to reporting from KMIZ.

Lehner currently plays for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Lynlee Renick was facing financial difficulties with her now-closed, Columbia-based spa Ascensia at this same time, according to court documents.

From 2020: Columbia spa owner charged with murder

Brandon Blackwell went to Missouri Highway Patrol trooper Nathaniel Schaffer, telling Schaffer that Lynlee Renick had confessed to the murder. He had a child with Lynlee Renick.

Attorneys for Lynlee Renick attempted last month to have Blackwell's testimony excluded from the trial. A hearing was set to take place Wednesday on this question but was canceled, according to an online docket entry.

Lynlee Renick in 2017 had told officers she had found her dead husband's body in one of the snake barns, according to court documents.

Civil financial questions came up regarding Ben Renick's estate in the years after his death. Two cases involving Lehner were dismissed.

Law enforcement informant interviewed

When Blackwell was interviewed by Schaffer, he described what Lynlee Renick had said to him.

The plot to kill Ben Renick allegedly took place mostly at Ascencia Spa, located in the Cherry Hill Shopping Center, according to court documents.

Ben Renick knew about his wife's financial troubles, with Lynlee Renick allegedly worried Ben had the means "to take her children away from her," according to a probable cause statement written by Schaffer.

Spa employee Ashley Shaw allegedly helped Lynlee Renick plan the murder. Shaw reached a deal with prosecutors and was not charged, according to KMIZ reporting.

Humphrey allegedly was enlisted to help, according to court documents.

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The first attempt to kill Ben Renick allegedly was via a narcotic-laced protein shake. A motion to exclude this allegation from the trial was denied in October.

A search warrant of both Ben and Lynlee Renick's Facebook accounts confirmed the story about the protein shake and Ben Renick's knowledge of Lynlee's financial woes.

On the day Ben Renick was killed, Humphrey allegedly picked up Lynlee Renick from the spa, while Shaw would send text messages from Lynlee's phone to cover their movements.

Evidence found at the crime scene indicated Ben knew his killer because of where he was found, how he was killed and that nothing was stolen, Schaffer wrote.

The plot was for Humphrey to kill Ben Renick, but he asked Lynlee to do it, according to court documents. Humphrey did not want Lynlee to be angry if she later regretted the alleged murder, Schaffer wrote.

Humphrey watched and then picked up most of the shell casings, but missed some that were not immediately visible. He also disposed of Lynlee Renick's clothes after the pair returned to the spa, where Lynlee showered.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Murder trial for wife of Montgomery County snake breeder starts Monday