Left: Kristie Lynch. Right: James Lynch (Norfolk Police Department).
A Virginia woman and her husband are headed to prison for beating a man with a frying pan and choking him to death with a dog leash because he wouldn”t fork over his disability check to pay for living expenses.
Kristie Marie Lynch, 45, was found guilty last week of first-degree murder in the death of 45-year-old Jose Moreno at their Norfolk home, prosecutors said in a press release. James Christian Lynch pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year and was sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Prosecutors said the defendants met Moreno at their church in 2022 and invited him to live at their apartment because he had “nowhere to go.” Moreno suffered from a physical disability that required him to use a walker. As part of living with them the Lynches required Moreno to pay them from his disability check.
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James Lynch admitted to cops that he and his wife physically “punished” him on several occasions because he didn’t pay them, did not complete household chores and spoke Spanish around them, prosecutors said.
In the days leading up to the murder, James Lynch beat the victim with a frying pan, bashing in his head. He refused to take Moreno to the hospital because he didn’t want to be arrested. They also hit him with a baseball bat and strangled him with a belt and dog leash. Prosecutors believe Moreno likely died on Aug. 9, 2023.
But the Lynches didn’t report the death until two days later after speaking with a pastor who told them to call 911. Norfolk police responded to their apartment where cops found Moreno’s naked body. He was covered in bruises and cuts and had ligature marks on his neck. An autopsy determined he died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Kristie Lynch told police that Moreno had attacked her that day and sexually assaulted her. She then challenged her husband to “man up,” “grow a set” and “go take care of your boy,” according to prosecutors. James Lynch claimed that when he attacked Moreno, the victim began to kick him and fight him off. Moreno “was possessed with a ‘demon’-like strength and would not be subdued,” James Lynch claimed, despite the victim being nearly a foot shorter and more than 150 pounds lighter, prosecutors said.
Cops initially charged the Lynches with second-degree murder until they were indicted for first-degree murder.
“The word ‘shocking’ has been overused but the suffering that they Lynches inflicted on Mr. Moreno — a disabled man they claimed to have been ‘helping’ and who had ‘nowhere to go’ — is truly shocking,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said. “It is possible to kill another person in an instant using a gun, but to beat and strangle another person to death takes serious physical exertion and a sustained determination to inflict pain and to kill.”
Friends of Moreno took to Facebook to mourn his death, describing him as a kind soul and a happy person.
“This is absolutely disgusting!” one friend wrote. “I am sick to my stomach learning about this. Jose was such a special part of our church family.”
Another friend commented: “I can’t shake this since I heard. He did not deserve anything like this at all. He was always smiling.”
Kristie Lynch is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16, 2026.
