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On Wednesday, Pontotoc County District Judge Steven Kessinger sentenced Kristie Evans to life in prison for murdering her husband. Evans, 49, admitted to committing the crime, which she reportedly plotted along with her lover.
As per a report by The Oklahoman, the judge was quoted as saying:
"As you testified, actions have consequences."
Upon delivering his decision, Judge Kessinger accused Kristie of plotting the murder and providing her lover, 27-year-old Kahlil Square of Moore, with a weapon, ammunition, and access to her home.
Soon after the murder of pastor David Evans, Kristie Evans and Kahlil Square were arrested by the police.
Kristie initially claimed that her 50-year-old husband was killed by an intruder. However, she later admitted to the murder, claiming the guilt "ate her alive." A report by NBC affiliate KFOR stated that when Evans surrendered to authorities, she said it was to "get right with God."
Kristie Evans claims she killed her husband after suffering years of abuse
In her defense, Kristie maintained that she killed her husband because he would repeatedly abuse her. She further stated that he was "controlling" and "abusive" to her and their kids. At her trial, she said:
"I was desperate. I wanted to be free from that. I knew of no other way."
David Evans was a Baptist pastor who was popular and admired at Harmony Church in Ada. During the trial, he was revealed to be a swinger. Kristie Evans testified that her husband would pressure her to have intimate relations with multiple men in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Moore. She further revealed that Square was someone she met during one such situation back in 2021.
While the prosecutor did not particularly defend David Evans' character, the plot to kill him was highlighted. The prosecutor also accused Kristie Evans of killing her husband for a $250,000 life insurance policy.
On March 22, 2021, David Evans was shot in his house while he was asleep. For the murder, Square was charged with first-degree murder and is scheduled to appear in court on August 27.
Speaking about the verdict, Joi Miskel, Kristie's lawyer, revealed that the judge can revise the sentence when he reviews it again. Regarding Kristie, she said:
"Her remorse is real and it was from the very beginning. Every time I've met with her, there is remorse."
"And you have to understand that she has suffered for years and years this horrific abuse. You don't just shake that off in a matter of days, months, weeks or even years. And you have to think she still has had no kind of counseling, any kind of therapy, to work through these issues of decades of abuse."
