Inset left: Todd Michael Donovan (Johnson County Sheriff”s Office). Inset middle: Sheila Donovan (Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens) Inset right: Tyler Donovan (Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens.) Background: The area of the 7900 block of Hallet Street in Lenexa, Kansas (Google Maps)
A Kansas man who shot and killed his wife, adult son, and a neighbor’s dog will all-but-assuredly spend the rest of his life in prison.
Todd Donovan, 54, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of cruelty to animals. On Tuesday, he was given a “Hard 50” sentence – meaning he will serve 50 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.
The charges originated from a spree of violence that occurred last November.
On Friday, Nov. 1, at about 8:20 p.m., officers with the Lenexa Police Department arrived at a home in the 7900 block of Hallet Street in the city. They were called about an “armed disturbance,” and when they arrived, “they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area of the residence,” the department announced at the time.
A negotiation between officers and the suspect broke out and lasted hours.
“Lenexa officers spoke on the phone with the individual suspected of firing shots, an adult male, and learned he was inside his residence,” police wrote. However, the suspect – later revealed to be Donovan – “refused to comply with officer’s requests to come outside peacefully,” and about two hours into the negotiation, he reportedly stopped talking altogether.
At 1:50 a.m., over five hours after police arrived and following three other agencies joining the “barricade operation,” a specialized unit with the Lenexa Police Department forced its way into the home and apprehended Donovan. He was taken to a nearby hospital “on a possible overdose,” police said.
Inside the home, police located the bodies of Sheila Donovan, 52, and Tyler Donovan, 22, both of whom had suffered gunshot wounds. They were both pronounced dead. As part of the investigation, authorities also discovered that “a neighbors dog was shot and killed around the same time that officers responded on the initial call.”
According to court documents reviewed by Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV, before he stopped talking to crisis negotiators, Donovan had walked out of his home with his hands in the air and tossed a rifle from his garage. However, he reportedly reentered his house to take medication “to help himself calm down” – later admitting to having taken about 30 Ambien.
He then stopped speaking with law enforcement, but his phone remained on – with court records stating that authorities “could hear him snoring in the background,” per KCTV.
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In the chaos of that November night, Todd Donovan is said to have called his brother, Aaron Miller, and threatened to kill himself.
“Aaron told law enforcement that [the] defendant said, ‘I just shot my family. They thought I was sleeping. I could hear them laughing and making fun of me so I shot them,'” according to court documents obtained by the Johnson County Post. It was then that he reportedly entered a neighbor’s home and shot their dog.
The court documents provided a further glimpse into the defendant’s state of mind as police arrived. According to the Johnson County Post, Todd Donovan “requested that officers come get him and shoot him,” and when asked who lived with him, responded, “A couple of traitors, I guess.”
“Come and get me. I mean, I’m armed to the teeth but I’m not gonna shoot,” he reportedly added – as well as, “I cannot believe my family turned on me like that,” and, “I just want to die.”
A “Hard 50” sentence was established for life sentences with a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 50 years and meant to be the “default sentence when a defendant is convicted of premeditated first degree murder committed on or after July 1, 2014,” according to the Kansas State Legislature.
Sheila Donovan is remembered for her “legacy of love, laughter, and unwavering faith,” according to her obituary.
“Her greatest pride and joy was her son, Tyler, and she delighted in sharing every piece of news about him,” the Johnson County Funeral Chapel & Memorial Gardens added. “Sheila’s laugh was truly infectious, and her sense of humor could brighten any room. She brought joy to every occasion, making them filled with laughter and fun.”
Tyler Donovan “seldom asked for help but was always the first to offer a hand to others,” per his obituary. “His generous heart and willingness to support friends and family exemplified his selfless spirit, which will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”
