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An upcoming episode of A&E's Taking the Stand is slated to chronicle the tragic murder case of world-renowned snake breeder Ben Renick, who was found dead at his facility in 2017. The all-new episode, titled Lynlee Renick, will air on the channel this Thursday, February 9, 2023, at 10 pm ET.
The synopsis of the episode states:
"When Ben Renick is found dead in his snake facility, law enforcement assumes he is a victim of one of his snakes -- until the coroner finds bullet casings hidden behind shelves; three years of investigation eventually lead police to Ben's wife."
Authorities initially believed that Renick was killed by one of his snakes inside the facility. However, bullet casings found at the scene suggested otherwise. Due to a lack of evidence, the case went cold for a while until detectives received an unexpected tip that led them straight to the killer.
The investigation that followed revealed an intricate scheming by the victim's wife, Lynlee Renick, to commit the murder. It was alleged that she enlisted the assistance of two accomplices to carry out the plot. Further evidence revealed that a twisted love triangle and financial gain may have been the motive.
Renowned snake breeder Ben Renick was found dead at one of his facilities in June 2017
Ben Renick, a snake breeder who was born in Missouri in August 1987, rose to prominence in the field after building a reputation for producing "designer pythons." The average price for each python that the snake breeder sold was roughly $20,000. In April 2014, he married Lynlee Renick, and the two welcomed Emilia into the world. They also raised Lynlee's son Matthew from a previous relationship.
However, on the evening of June 8, 2017, Ben died while removing trash from one of his breeding facilities. Authorities only heard about the incident after getting a frantic call from his wife Lynlee, who was the first to find him dead.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders initially believed that Ben was killed by one of his snakes, but they soon found that none of his snakes had escaped the facility. However, they discovered shell casings at the scene, and the case was then determined to be a homicide, ruling out the snake theory. Authorities confirmed that he was shot at least eight times.
The case remained unsolved for around two-and-a-half years until Lynlee's ex-boyfriend Brandon Blackwell tipped off authorities with some unusual information. Not long after Ben Renick's death, his widow started dating Blackwell and even had a child with him. Blackwell reportedly told detectives that she had confessed to him about Ben's murder.
It wasn't long before a sinister murder plot involving multiple people surfaced. At the time, Lynlee's spa was having financial difficulties, leading authorities to believe that financial gain was the perfect motive in the scenario. She then enlisted the assistance of an ex-boyfriend Michael Humphrey and one of her employees, Ashley Shaw. Her accomplices finally revealed the truth.
Lynlee, her spa employee, and ex-boyfriend were involved in Ben Renick's killing
Initially, it was only Ashley and Lynlee who tried to get the job done by giving Ben a poisoned protein shake. However, when the plan failed, they took drastic steps by involving Michael, who reportedly drove to Ben's breeding facility on the day of the murder with Lynlee.
Michael and Lynlee provided contrasting versions of what happened that day, with the former claiming to have witnessed the latter pull the trigger and kill Ben. Meanwhile, the mother-of-two claimed her ex-boyfriend was responsible for the murder. She stated that she was only at the facility to ask for a divorce, but Michael suddenly shot Ben as she ran to the car.
Lynlee Renick's accomplices decided to testify against her. She was eventually found guilty of second-degree murder in Ben Renick's case in December 2021. The prosecution alleged that she committed the crime since she was the only beneficiary of the property, business, and life insurance policy. She was also likely concerned that Ben would take the children in case of a divorce.
Meanwhile, Michael was found guilty of first-degree murder.
Tune in to Taking the Stand on A&E this February 9, 2023, to learn more about the case.
