Ark Valley News - No appeal, no parole for Bluml

Tony Bluml listens during his sentencing June 16 in Sedgwick County District Court. Bluml was sentenced to life in prison with no parole.

No appeal, no parole for Bluml
By David Dinell
Last Updated: June 18, 2015

Two of the four people involved in the murder of rural Valley Center residents Melissa and Roger Bluml will never be free again. On June 16, Kisha Schaberg and her biological son, Anthony "Tony" Bluml, were both sentenced to life in prison without parole. The terms were expected.

Anthony Bluml, 20, is the adoptive son of the murdered couple. Bluml and Schaberg, 36, killed the couple on the evening of Nov. 15, 2003, outside of their home northeast of Valley Center in the belief that he would collect assets from their estate.

Last month, both entered a no-contest plea, which avoided trials for the two — and avoided the possibility of the death penalty — and put a speedy end to their part of the complex case.

They can't appeal their sentences.

Also involved in the case are Braden Smith and Andrew Ellington, 20-year-old Valley Center High School classmates of Bluml. As part of a deal worked out with the office of District Attorney Marc Bennett, Smith said he would testify against the other three defendants in exchange for the lesser charge of two counts of second-degree murder.

That deal means that the district attorney will seek a sentence of 24 1/2 years. Ellington's trial is expected later this year.

After being shot in the head in their vehicle when they got home, both Melissa, 53, and Roger Bluml, 48, were taken to the hospital, where Melissa died the following day. About five weeks later, Roger died from his injuries.

There also were charges of aggravated robbery against Schaberg and Bluml, as a purse and cellphone were taken, but in the end, they were moot points, as nothing now will free them.

A heavy air of sadness hung over the courtroom June 16 as the two were sentenced in different hearings, both packed with family and loved ones of the couple. Security was heavy at the hearings, with deputies posted around the courtrooms and at the doors.

During the Bluml sentencing, a family member read an emotional letter to the court. After it, Judge Ben Burgess took note of his standing-room-only courtroom and the impact the murderers had.

"You changed the lives of many people," he said, looking straight into Bluml's eyes as he stood emotionless at a podium with his attorney, Mark Manna.

After announcing the sentence, he again looked at Bluml, telling him that he will "never be released from prison." The entire proceeding took only 25 minutes and Bluml said nothing.

After going through administrative details, Bluml, who was in a green jail jumpsuit with shackles on, was quietly led out of the courtroom, never looking back at the gallery of people whose lives he affected.

After visiting with the family, Bennett commented on the case to the media, saying that while any murder is a "terrible tragedy," this case was especially heinous because a member of the family did it.

"This was an additional betrayal," he said. This pain they have suffered and will continue to as the years go by is quite real, he said.

"There is not a sliding scale of suffering," he said.

Despite the emotional toll, Bennett said he believes the family will help each other handle it and prevail.

"They are strong people," he said.

The same goes for the couple's other son, Chris Bluml, also adopted, who lost his parents.

"He seems like a great kid," Bennett said. "I hope he does well and I think he will."

In May, Chris Bluml graduated from Valley Center High School.

Earlier in the morning, Schaberg had her sentencing.

Also dressed in a green jail jumpsuit, she entered a courtroom filled with family and friends of the murdered couple.

A family member addressed the court, thanking the police, other law enforcement officers and the District Attorney's office, saying that they all worked hard to "bring justice" to the family.

She said that the couple's lives were not in vain and the family is working to move forward and will support each other.

Although the mother and son pleaded no contest, that does not absolve them of any blame, she said.

"You are at fault," she said of the two.

Unlike her son, Schaberg did make a statement. She said she was sorry for the loss and what the family has gone through, saying that she gives her "deepest apologies" for the murders.

Schaberg said she had respect for the Blumls and also gave credit to the couple for providing Anthony and Chris with a home. She also said that they tried to steer Anthony on a positive path in life.

"I will always be grateful for that," she said.

Schaberg, however, denied having any role in the murders, although court testimony said she was the person who fired the gun.

"I had nothing to do with this," she said.

Despite that statement, she didn't elaborate on why she chose a no-contest plea, denying her right to a trial. After the statements, the sentencing was read: life imprisonment, no parole. Both Schaberg and Bluml also received 122 months on the two counts of aggravated robbery, a sentence that will run consecutively.

Unlike her son, Schaberg did display her feelings, and cried after the Judge Jeffrey Goering's ruling.

Schaberg and Bluml, who had been housed in Sedgwick County Jail in Wichita, now will be transferred to supervision of the Kansas Department of Corrections, which will determine their detention facility.

Summing up the cases, Bennet said the day's developments gave the family some closure and, while never forgetting them, will allow the families to start to put the killings behind them.

"Today, two more chapters were closed in this case for the family," he said.