KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The man and woman responsible for the murder of Kensie Aubry were sentenced to life in prison plus decades more Tuesday, the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced.
Michael Hendricks, 42, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 44.5 years more in prison. Maggie Ybarra, 32, was sentenced to life in prison plus 56.5 years.
The pair was convicted by a Jackson County grand jury in August 2021 for multiple crimes.
Ybarra was sentenced Tuesday for second-degree murder (life), first-degree harassment (4 years), enticement of a child (30 years), misdemeanor first-degree sexual misconduct (6 months), tampering with physical evidence in felony prosecution (1 year), and three counts of tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution (7 years each).
Hendricks was sentenced for first-degree murder (life without parole), first-degree harassment (4 years), enticement of a child (30 years), third-degree child molestation (10 years) and sexual misconduct (6 months).
Kensie Aubry was killed in October 2020. Her remains were found in July 2021 on Grain Valley property owned by Hendricks.
Aubry’s loved ones remember her for her passion for dancing and singing as well as her confidence.
Her mother, Cindy Aubry, said she carries her daughter’s ashes in a vial around her neck.
“I will not bury her. She was already buried, and I’ll never put her, I’ll never put her underground again," Cindy Aubry previously told KSHB.
Once Hendricks and Ybarra were indicted in July, Cindy said she was relieved justice was served.
“I’m a very strong Christian woman, and so [I] have different opinions of the death penalty and all this stuff, and I knew my Lord was going to take care of the whole situation," she said.
As Hendricks and Ybarra are set to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker also expressed relief in serving justice in Aubry's gruesome murder.
“My office spent countless hours to assure justice in this case of frankly unspeakable human behavior. We sought the max under the law. I am proud of this trial team that brought these defendants to today's fitting outcome. I must again point to the bravery of the young victim who led law enforcement to these defendants. I must also praise law enforcement, notably the Grandview Police Department, for believing and acting on the word of this young victim. Justice could not have been served without her bravery and her sense of right and wrong. She ultimately delivered this just ruling.”
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