OLATHE, Kan. -- A jury Friday convicted Sueanne Hobson of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her 13-year-old stepson.
Sueanne Hobson, 39, could be sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge of Christen Hobson and up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 25.
Mrs. Hobson was accused of hiring her son, James Crumm Jr., and another youth to kill the boy in April 1980. The youngster's body was found May 3, 1980, in a shallow grave he was forced to dig himself.
Crumm and the other youth, Paul Sorrentino, are both serving life sentences for their part in the shotgun killing. Crumm was convicted in May of last year of the murder; Sorrentino pleaded guilty to the charge.
Mrs. Hobson showed little emotion when the verdict was read. But as she left the courtroom said, 'Oh, it's awful.'
After the verdict was read, defense attorneys asked Johnson County District Court Judge Robert Jones to have the jurors polled separately. Each juror in the seven-man, five-woman panel then reaffirmed his guilty vote.
Mrs. Hobson and her husband, Ed, were immediately ushered into a side room. About 15 minutes later court officials cleared a path for the woman. She appeared distraught and leaned on her husband as they walked from the courtroom.
Assistant District Attorney Steve Tatum said, 'I'm very happy. It's been a long time. I'm glad it's over.'
The jury went into deliberations at midday Thursday, the eighth day of the trail, and returned less than two hours later to listen again to a taped statement by Mrs. Hobson's daughter. The jury recessed for the night at about 6:30 p.m. and resumed at 8:45 a.m. Friday. The verdict was returned shortly after 4 p.m.
In the taped statement, Suzanne Hobson said her mother and Hobson, Christen's father, quarreled about the youth and her mother asked Crumm to do something about the boy.
Although in the taped statement the girl said her mother and Crumm never used the word 'kill,' Suzanne did say she heard them discuss 'getting rid' of the boy.
The trial had been delayed five times, first on four court-ordered continuances and the final time, the day before the trial actually began, when Mrs. Hobson was admitted to a hospital with an apparent drug overdose.
In closing arguments Thursday, attorneys painted very different pictures of Mrs. Hobson. The defense team of Hugh and Scott Kreamer said the woman was a loving mother while prosecuting attorney Dennis Moore called the woman a lair and asked the jury not to be swayed by the tears shed by Mrs. Hobson during her testimony.
'Sueanne Hobson has lied to you. Sueanne Hobson may now appear to be remorseful but there are two sides to Sueanne Hobson, and Christen knew her dark side all too well,' Moore said.
Moore then told the jury it should find Mrs. Hobson guilty of both charges against her. He said that although she was not physically present when Christen was killed with a shotgun and buried, 'The presence of Sueanne Hobson was very real at the gravesite. Sueanne Hobson was the prime mover in this case.'
'The state is not required to prove a motive,' Moore said, 'but the motive is there. It's probably the oldest motive in the world -- she didn't like Chris.'
In closing arguments, defense attorneys told jurors they should find Mrs. Hobson innocent. The defense told the jury that Crumm, who testified against his mother, was not a credible witness and said that Crumm lied to lay the blame for the boy's death on his mother.
