What happened to Ben Renick?
SNAKE breeder Ben Renick was murdered in 2017 by what was believed to be the very animal he nurtured.
The snake behind his death, however, was actually much closer than anyone would have thought.
What happened to Ben Renick?
Ben Renick, 29, was a well-known Montgomery County snake breeder.
On June 8, 2017, he was shot several times in his New Florence, Missouri home.
At first, however, a snake was suspected to be the cause of his death.
Ben's wife, Lynlee Renick, had called the police in a frenzy claiming she had found him dead in a pool of blood at their home.
Ben's brother, Sam, instantly believed a snake to be the culprit.
After a closer look by investigators, it was clear that Ben had been shot, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Three years later, Ben's wife and her now ex-boyfriend, Michael K. Humphrey, were both charged with murder and armed criminal action.
As the reported, Lynlee was sentenced to 16 years in prison in December 2022 for second-degree murder and armed criminal action.
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Michael was convicted in October 2022 and is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder.
The outlet states: "In a deal with prosecutors, he provided the location of the murder weapon in exchange for the lesser charge of second-degree murder and a sentence of life in prison."
Who was Ben Renick?
Ben was extremely popular in the snake-breeding community.
He owned a world-renowned snake breeding business, Renick Reptiles, which held over $1million worth of snakes.
Around the time of his death, Ben was in the process of selling his snakes, ball pythons, and anaconda to professional hockey goalie, Robin Lehner, in early 2017 for $1.2 million.
Ben and Lynlee had two children: Matthew Alyn and Emilia Marie.
Matthew, however, was not Ben’s biological child, but his wife's son from her previous relationship with Michael.
How can I watch the Dateline episode about Ben Renick's case?
On Friday, March 24, 2023, a Dateline episode featuring a new report about Ben's murder will premiere at 9pm EST, 8pm CST on NBC.
As reported by , Secrets of the Snake Farm will feature interviews conducted by correspondent Andrea Canning with members of the Renick family — including with Lynlee — first responders, and others.
The Twitter account has shared multiple announcements about the upcoming TV special.
On March 23, 2023, it a video of Canning discussing the case, along with the words: "Friday at 9/8c on a 2-hour #Dateline, a lead investigator will take @CanningAndrea inside an investigation and provide a new perspective on a case that involves infidelity, betrayal, murder, and snakes..."
This is not the first television program made about Ben's murder.
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On Saturday, March 12, 2022, a 48 hours episode titled aired at 10pm EST, 9pm CST on CBS and can also be streamed on Paramount+.
In the special, Correspondent Peter Van Sant took viewers inside the details of Ben's murder.