PINEVILLE, Mo. — A McDonald County, Mo., judge, took no time to rule Monday the two sentences for Danny Kay Thomas should run consecutively and not concurrently saying he didn’t agree with the jury’s sentence of 13 years for second-degree mur- der and three years for armed criminal action.
Associate Circuit Court Judge John LePage made his ruling im- mediately following arguments by Newton County Prosecuting
Attorney Jake Skouby and Ross Rhoades, defense attorney.
Thomas, 61, was found guilty July 26 for the killing of Darrell Bone, 54, of Longview. Bone was co-owner of Auto Solutions, in Rogers with Kent Rylee. He was a native of Pea Ridge and gradu- ated from Pea Ridge High School in 1975.
Bone was shot three times by Thomas in July 2011 at a farm Bone owned in Stella, Mo., where Thomas lived. Thomas is the brother to Velda Rideout, who described herself as Bone’s “com- panion” for the past 10 years dur-
ing Thomas’s trial. LePage’s ruling will mean that
Thomas will spend at least 14 years in custody for killing Bone. Skouby said that he will have to do at least 85 percent of the 13 years for the murder conviction plus 100 percent of the three years for the armed criminal ac- tion charge.
During Monday’s formal sentencing, Skouby told LePage that he “strongly” was asking the judge rule for consecutive sen- tences. He said the incident was a “violent and brutal end of Mr. Bone’s life.”
Skouby said he thought that the victim impact statements provided the court from Bone’s children, Haley and Brentley, suf- ficiently stated the family’s case for consecutive sentences.
But following Rhoades’ argu- ment for concurrent sentences, Brentley came forward to address the court. He said he did not understand how a person could receive just 16 years for murder- ing someone.
“I ask for him to be sentenced for every minute he can be,” Brentley said to LePage. “I want him to stay behind bars for every minute you can make him.”
Following Brentley’s remarks, Rideout also ad- dressed LePage. She said she thought this day was harder than the day Thom- as was found guilty.
“I pray everybody can find forgiveness in their hearts,” she said. “I ask for any leniency you can give this case.”
In his ruling, LePage said “my whole issue is when a man is shot once in the back and twice in the face, I don’t agree with 13 years.”
After LePage issued his ruling, Thomas said he wasn’t 100 percent pleased with his defense. He said his first attorney, a court- appointed public defender, did not spend enough time on his case. When LePage asked if Rhoades corrected those issues, Thomas re- plied, “somewhat.”
Thomas went on to say that several witnesses that he thought would help his case were not called, including Janice Durbin, former McDonald County prosecuting attorney, Rob-
ert Evenson, McDonald County sheriff, and Bill Dobbs, Newton County as- sistant prosecutor.
Thomas said Durbin and Evenson could have testified about William Williams, who Thomas claimed was the reason Darrell Bone was upset with him. Thomas said Bone was so upset with him, he went to Dobbs in the summer of 2009 and told him that Bone had threatened his life. He also told LePage that he was upset with the judge for the way he han- dled the Williams’ case.
LePage denied Rhoades’ motions for acquittal and a new trial and refused to allow an appeal bond to be set. Thomas was taken back to the Newton County Jail where he has been since he was arrested a day after shooting Bone. He will be turned over to the Missouri Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.
The trial and sentencing were held in McDonald County on a change of ven- ue from Newton County, Mo.