KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Lenexa man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years in the murders of his wife and son.
Todd Michael Donovan, 54, was also sentenced to 30 days for cruelty to animals, which will run concurrent with the life sentence for two counts of first-degree premeditated murder.
Lenexa police were called around 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2024, to the 7900 block of Hallett Street on the sound of shots fired.
Officers were able to make contact with Donovan via phone, but he refused to cooperate, initiating an hours-long standoff.
Donovan eventually walked out of the home with his hands in the air, throwing his rifle out of the garage, a court document stated.
However, he went back inside, where he passed out after taking 30 Ambien pills to “calm himself down.”
Court documents stated officers could hear him snoring over the phone line, which remained open.
While he was asleep, officers entered the home. Donovan’s wife, 52-year-old Sheila, and their son, 22-year-old Tyler, were found shot to death.
Donovan was taken into custody and charged shortly after. He pleaded guilty in April.
Investigators said they located a neighbor's dog that had been shot and killed around the time of the initial shots-fired call.
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