Teresa Stone

Case details

Teresa Stone conspired with her minister and lover to kill her husband, Randy Stone. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to eight years in prison on June 14, 2012.

People

• Teresa Stone — defendant; wife of Randy Stone; mother of two; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
• Randy Stone — victim; Teresa Stone’s husband; an Independence insurance agent.
• David Love — Teresa Stone’s minister and lover; conspired with Teresa Stone; admitted shooting Randy Stone in Stone’s Noland Road insurance office; later sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty.
• Tammy Dickinson — assistant Jackson County prosecutor.
• Marco Roldan — Jackson County Circuit Court judge.
• John P. O’Connor — Stone’s lawyer.
• Robert Davis — Farmers Insurance district manager who visited the Stones’ home after Teresa Stone called.
• Keith Rosewaren — Independence police detective who investigated.
• Shelly Bell — Randy Stone’s niece.
• Clara Koehler — Randy Stone’s mother.
• Michael — son of Randy and Teresa Stone (age 21).
• Miranda — daughter of Randy and Teresa Stone (age 18).
• Kim Love — David Love’s wife.
• Christina Nunez — identified in connection with David Love’s arrest in South Carolina.
• Patrick Edwards — assistant Jackson County prosecutor.
• Molly Hastings — assistant public defender for David Love.
• Robert (referred to as “Rosewaren”) and other detectives cited in testimony included Steve Schmidli and Jerry Stewart, who interviewed Teresa Stone at police headquarters, and Loran Freeman and Aaron Gietzen, who interviewed Kim Love.
• Darren Tharp — pastor who later replaced David Love.

Timeline

• 2005 — Randy Stone made his children, Michael and Miranda, the beneficiaries of his life insurance policies instead of his wife, Teresa Stone.
• March 31, 2010 — Teresa Stone placed a 911 call saying she had found her husband shot; Randy Stone was found dead in his insurance office with a bullet in his head.
• April 20, 2010 — Teresa Stone signed a Miranda waiver at 6:10 p.m. agreeing to be interviewed without an attorney.
• April 21 — Teresa Stone made a phone call at 12:43 a.m. to David Love during the interrogation process; police activity followed quickly after the call.
• Late April — David Love resigned as pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church.
• May 27, 2011 — prosecutors indicted Teresa Stone for allegedly conspiring with David Love in the murder.
• Nov. 8, 2011 — a deposition of Teresa Stone was scheduled.
• Nov. 9, 2011 — David Love pleaded guilty; the hearing began at 8 a.m. in an Independence courtroom.
• June 15, 2012 — a sentencing story was published in connection with Teresa Stone’s sentencing.
• June 14, 2012 — Teresa Stone was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Background

Teresa Stone and Randy Stone married in the New Hope Baptist Church, where Teresa helped in the church kitchen and occasionally sang in the choir. The Rev. David Love joined the church and became a pastor figure for Randy. Teresa Stone worked in Randy Stone’s Noland Road office, including as a customer service representative and later as a licensed agent. Teresa and Randy had two children, Michael and Miranda.

Teresa Stone and David Love had a relationship that prosecutors described as a long affair involving covert communication and pursuit of future marriage plans.

The offence

Teresa Stone conspired with David Love to kill her husband, Randy Stone, and prosecutors said she helped set up the conspiracy. During the sentencing, the court heard that:

• David Love was described by the prosecutor as “her hit man.”
• Teresa Stone schemed with David Love to commit the 2010 murder.
• Teresa Stone allowed David Love access to Randy Stone’s collection of guns, including a gun used to shoot Randy Stone.
• Teresa Stone mistakenly believed she would be the beneficiary of several life insurance policies.
• After David Love killed Randy Stone, Teresa Stone allowed the killer to preside over Randy Stone’s funeral.

The sentencing record included that Teresa Stone had sent texts and discussed removing Randy Stone so she could have a “perfect life” with David Love.

Investigation

Independence police detective Keith Rosewaren led the investigation. Police examined the scene at Randy Stone’s insurance office on Noland Road and recovered a .40 caliber shell casing and a handwritten letter in a wastebasket. Police also found $151 in cash on a desk and Randy Stone’s wallet remained in his back pocket.

Police later matched the .40 caliber shell casing to other shell casings recovered on an eastern Jackson County farm where Randy Stone liked to take target practice. Investigators concluded that Randy Stone had been killed with his own gun.

Teresa Stone told investigators about her daily activities on March 31 and said she was happily married and had no idea who would want to kill her husband. When police were interviewing her about the handwritten letter, she said, “I forgot about the letter.”

During the April interview process, detectives pressed Teresa Stone about the torn-up birthday note and her covert relationship with David Love. At 6:10 p.m. on April 20, 2010, Teresa Stone signed a Miranda waiver agreeing to be interviewed without an attorney. During the interrogation process, Teresa Stone acknowledged sexual relations with David Love and later admitted that “Brother Love” sent her a text. She also stated that David Love warned her that if she told investigators he would go to jail for murder.

Teresa Stone later called David Love at home and tried to press for a confession, but David Love’s wife, Kim Love, intervened on the call. After the call, police surveillance activity identified a vehicle heading toward U.S. 24 and the Stone home, and David Love was arrested shortly after.

Arrest and detention

David Love was arrested in connection with the investigation after the phone call and subsequent surveillance activity. Teresa Stone’s statements and admissions during investigation were used in the case against her.

Trial proceedings and guilty plea

Teresa Stone pleaded guilty earlier in 2012 to conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors said the plea carried the understanding that her maximum sentence would be 10 years.

During June 15, 2012 sentencing proceedings, Teresa Stone stated:

“I am so sorry … if I could do anything to change it.… I ask you today to show mercy.… I am totally responsible for my actions,” she said.

Her lawyer, John P. O’Connor, told the judge she had no prior criminal record and had returned to school to seek a new career as a medical technician.

Sentencing

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Marco Roldan sentenced Teresa Stone to eight years in prison on June 14, 2012. The prosecutor described the recommended sentence options and stated that the eight-year term was the third and most severe option recommended in a pre-sentencing assessment.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Teresa Stone pleaded guilty and received a sentence of eight years in prison on June 14, 2012.

Aftermath

After the sentencing, Clara Koehler attended community and church events connected to Randy Stone’s memory. Two days after the sentencing, Koehler joined others in a 30-acre field in northeast Independence for a groundbreaking for a new picnic pavilion at the future site of New Hope Baptist Church. Pastor Darren Tharp replaced David Love and led the gathering, stating:

“You will be able to come out, bring your families and have picnics,” Tharp said.
“We will have a beautiful plaque up, with Randy’s picture.
“We’ll build it. We’ll build it to the glory of God and the memory of a precious man of God: Brother Randy Stone.”