Kansas City, Missouri. A Lenexa, Kansas, man guilty of killing his wife and son during a police standoff last year will serve 50 years in jail with no chance of release.
Todd Donovan, 54, was sentenced to a “Hard 50” by a Johnson County judge for shooting and killing his wife, Sheila Donovan, 52, and son, Tyler Donovan, 22.
Donovan was also sentenced on a cruelty to animals charge after shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog that same day.
He was charged on November 4, 2024, and pleaded guilty in April.
On November 1, 2024, Lenexa police officers responded to reports of shooting near Hallet Street and Mullen Road.
According to police, as cops arrived on the site, additional gunshots were heard from the property.
Officers phoned Donovan, who was suspected of shooting the pistol, and discovered he was still inside the house. Police attempted to persuade him to leave the residence peacefully, but he refused.
The Lenexa Tactical Team and crisis negotiators arrived on the area and began their blockade tactics. According to police, negotiators chatted with Donovan for nearly two hours before he hung up, prompting the tactical squad to enter the home and take him into custody.
He was thought to have overdosed, so emergency services transported him to a hospital for treatment.
After Donovan left the house, officers discovered the bodies of two victims who had been shot.
Police also discovered that a neighbor’s dog had been shot and died while responding to the initial complaint.
