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| 10/27/2008 ELLSWORTH — The widow of a rural Ellsworth man shot during an armed robbery in July offered forgiveness to her husband’s killer during his sentencing Monday and challenged him to live a life of repentance in prison. With her daughters, Connie Svaty and Ginger Dinkel, by her side, Donna Kroll stood in an Ellsworth County District Courtroom and faced Brian C. Orr, who pleaded guilty to murdering her husband, Richard Kroll, 72, on July 28. She read from a statement she had prepared to give Orr an idea of the effect the killing has had on her and her family. Orr, 30, McPherson, was sentenced Monday by District Judge Mike Keeley to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for the first 20 years. Orr received the maximum penalty allowed by law for the crime of first-degree murder while committing an inherently dangerous felony. “Sir, I hope you’ve listened to Mrs. Kroll,” Keeley said to Orr. “Your actions are difficult to interpret because you don’t show any remorse.” The killing has had a lasting effect on many in the community, Keeley said. Orr said he had no statement to make and showed little emotion during the proceeding as he sat next to defense attorney Pamela Sullivan, wearing a black-and-white-striped jail jumpsuit. He will remain in Ellsworth County Jail until he is taken to a Kansas Department of Corrections facility next week, said Ellsworth County Attorney Joe Shepack. Orr shot Kroll with a shotgun at close range during a robbery at his rural Ellsworth home in July. He was captured about an hour and a half later after a chase through rural Ellsworth and Lincoln counties. He entered a guilty plea in September. 37 10/28/2008 Donna Kroll read the following statement prior to the sentencing Monday of Brian C. Orr, who pleaded guilty to the July 28 murder of Kroll's husband, Richard Kroll, 72. "I wasn't sure if I could express my feelings in this court, and to you, Mr. Orr. The act of your shooting my husband, and thereby killing him before it was his time to die has been painful beyond words for me and my family. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to. You have taken the love of my life away from me. You have taken a father from his daughters and sons-in-law, a grandpa from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a friend from the many lives he has touched. For all of us, he is a precious life that cannot be replaced. "I have had to sell our home, get rid of our pets and move in with one of my daughters. "You, Mr. Orr, have shown no remorse for what you did. For a few dollars, you took his life. "Why am I saying all of this? Because I think you should be made to know what your thoughtless action has done to many people. "Our Christian faith tells us that Christ died for us on the cross to pay the price for the sins of all mankind who is willing to ask forgiveness for their sins. That means even murderers. Because He forgave me and my family, God asks us to forgive you. "My family and I choose to do that. Only with the help of Christ can we really feel in our hearts true forgiveness for you, but I will be praying that Christ will help us to do this. I also pray that you will ask for God's forgiveness and be saved. "I believe you should pay the consequences of life in prison with no parole, but if you are saved, you can live a life of repentance. You can tell others they can be saved and make your life count for something. By doing so, you will spend eternity in heaven instead of hell. "That is what I have to say." 38 | ||||||||
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| Last Modified 20 Dec 2008 | Created 20 Feb 2011 using Reunion for Macintosh |