A Florida man who went to buy a car advertised on Facebook Marketplace has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading no contest to stabbing the seller to death.
Kenny Dale Ashby, 33, was selling his 2002 Dodge Neon at his home near Panama City, Florida, when he was killed on July 3. Joseph Michael Lynch, 47, pleaded no contest on Thursday to the attack, which prosecutors described as “senseless and violent.”
Argument over missing car title
Lynch allegedly arrived at Ashby’s home around 11.30pm on the night of the murder. The two men are said to have argued about the car’s missing title, leading Ashby to go inside his house to look for it.
According to reports, Lynch became angry about how long the search was taking, kicked down the front door, and stabbed Ashby multiple times with a knife.
Family present during attack
“The victim’s wife, young daughter and three other adults were in the home,” state attorney Larry Basford said in a press release, adding that Lynch “took their phones before fleeing.”
Ashby’s wife, Ashlee, reportedly told the buyer there were children in the room, which led him to drop the phones. In an affidavit, she said she then called the police and reported that her husband was “not breathing.”
Police found Ashby severely wounded, with “broken glasses and other items strewn about the kitchen.” He was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of July 4.
Arrest and sentencing
Lynch was arrested near the home after fleeing the scene. He was found lying face down on the ground and admitted to the crime, reportedly telling officers, “I’m the one you are looking for.” He had also told teenagers nearby to call the police because “something bad had taken place.”
During the trial, prosecutor Peter Overstreet read a statement from Ashby’s wife, which said: “He was not just taken from us, but violently taken and in front of us, leaving a void that can never rebuild. This loss has shattered his family completely. We have no sense of safety anymore, not even in our own home.”
Lynch pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery. Circuit Court Judge Brantley Clark sentenced him to 40 years in prison.
