A Virginia woman and her spouse are heading to jail for assaulting a man with a frying pan and strangling him with a dog leash until he died because he refused to give them his disability check to cover living expenses.

Kristie Marie Lynch, 45, was convicted last week of first-degree murder in the case of 45-year-old Jose Moreno at their Norfolk residence, prosecutors reported in a press release. James Christian Lynch had pled guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year and received a 25-year prison sentence.

According to prosecutors, the defendants met Moreno at their church in 2022 and invited him to live with them since he had “nowhere to go.” Moreno suffered from a physical disability that necessitated the use of a walker. In exchange for living with them, the Lynches demanded Moreno pay them from his disability income.

James Lynch confessed to law enforcement that he and his wife had physically “punished” Moreno on several occasions because he failed to pay them, did not complete household tasks, and spoke Spanish around them, according to prosecutors.

In the days preceding the murder, James Lynch struck the victim with a frying pan, severely injuring his head. He refused to seek medical assistance for Moreno to avoid arrest. They further assaulted him with a baseball bat and choked him with a belt and dog leash. Prosecutors assert that Moreno likely died on August 9, 2023.

The Lynches, however, did not report the death until two days later following a conversation with a pastor who advised them to contact 911. Norfolk police arrived at their apartment and found Moreno’s naked body. He was covered in bruises and cuts, with ligature marks on his neck. An autopsy concluded that he died from strangulation combined with 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.