Editor’s note: The following story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
A Lenexa man will spend at least 50 years in prison for killing his wife and son last year.
On Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, Todd M. Donovan was sentenced to life without parole for at least 50 years for two counts of first-degree murder, in the deaths of his wife, Sheila, 52, and their son, Tyler, 22. He was also given a 30-day prison sentence for one count of cruelty to animals after killing his neighbor’s dog.
Judge Michael P. Joyce handed down the “Hard 50″ sentence. Donovan pleaded guilty to the three charges in April. His sentences are to run concurrently.
The murders occurred in late 2024
On Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, Lenexa police officers were called to a house in the 7900 block of Hallet Street at 8:24 p.m. for an armed disturbance.
“As officers arrived, they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area of the residence,” Master Police Officer Danny Chavez, a Lenexa Police spokesperson, said in a statement at the time.
Aaron Miller, Todd Donovan’s brother, told police that he was on the phone with his brother when Donovan told him that he had just killed his family and was threatening to kill himself, according to court documents.
“Aaron told law enforcement that defendant said, ‘I just shot my family. They thought
I was sleeping. I could hear them laughing and making fun of me so I shot them,'” court documents stated.
After shooting his family members, Todd Donovan then entered a neighbor’s house where a dog went “all crazy” barking at him, the defendant stated, according to court documents. He shot the dog then returned to his house. That neighbor, the dog owner, called 911 at 8:34 p.m. The dog later had to be euthanized.
Shortly after police arrived, at 8:39 p.m., Karen Kraft, Sheila Donovan’s mother, received a call from Sheila’s phone. It was Todd Donovan, who told her that he killed her daughter and grandson, according to court records.
At about 9 p.m., Lenexa Police Officer Alex Ware established contact with Donovan, who complained about the phone connection, talked about receiving another phone call and “requested that officers come get him and shoot him,” court documents stated.
When Ware asked Donovan who he lived with at the home, court documents stated he laughed and said, “A couple of traitors, I guess.”
Standoff with police lasted more than 5 hours
During a five-and-half-hour-long standoff with police, Donovan told police that he “could shoot it out, I guess, but I don’t want to do that,” court documents stated.
“Come and get me. I mean, I’m armed to the teeth but I’m not gonna shoot,” court documents stated Donovan said to police.
He also threatened that he was going to come outside with an AR-style gun that, he said, was “loaded to the gills.” He also told police he was “pretty skilled at this (expletive).”
Over the phone with police, Donovan also made other claims, like “I cannot believe my family turned on me like that,” and that “I just want to die.”
After taking Ambien, Donovan stopped speaking for about two hours, although the phone line remained open and officers could hear him snoring in the background, court records stated.
Using a drone, officers were able to go inside the home and found two people lying on the floor with gunshot wounds. When they entered the home, officers found Todd Donovan unconscious but breathing. He was eventually arrested and charged.
At the hospital, detectives from the Lenexa Police Department spoke with Donovan, who detailed the shooting and “confessed that he never really figured out what Sheila and Tyler were talking about before shooting them,” court documents stated.
He also admitted that on the day of the murder, he worked from home and later, went bar hopping with Tyler at two bars in Johnson County, where he consumed three beers, two margaritas and a “hefty drink of a whiskey,” court documents stated. In his brother’s testimony, Aaron Miller said his brother did not sound “drunk.”
Victims remembered for “generous heart” and “close friendships”
Tyler Donovan attended Shawnee Mission schools and worked as an electrical lineman, according to his obituary. Before his death, he had recently returned home after assisting hurricane victims in Florida. In addition, he loved hunting and gaming.
“Known for his independence and self-reliance, Tyler seldom asked for help but was always the first to offer a hand to others,” his obituary said. “His generous heart and willingness to support friends and family exemplified his selfless spirit, which will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”
A Hoxie, Kan., native, Sheila Donovan was passionate about crafting and fitness, according to her obituary. She enjoyed talking about her faith in God and took pride in her son’s accomplishments.
“Her greatest pride and joy was her son, Tyler, and she delighted in sharing every piece of news about him,” her obituary said. “Her life was filled with close friendships, and she was always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.”
A civil case is ongoing
Jerry and Karen Kraft, Sheila’s parents and Tyler’s grandparents, as well as Darcy Sly, Sheila’s sister and executor to Sheila’s estate and administrator of Tyler’s estate, have also filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Todd Donovan.
In their lawsuit, they ask for a survival claim, which allows the probate estate to recover money for the deceased persons’ medical bills, conscious pain and suffering, and wage loss prior to their deaths.
The Kraft family is seeking a “reasonable sum of money in excess of $75,000” for each of five separate counts related to the Donovan murders, according to the lawsuit.
Those five counts include the wrongful death of Sheila Donovan, the wrongful death of Tyler Donovan, assault and battery of Sheila, assault and battery of Tyler, and intentional infliction of emotional distress on the Kraft family.
Donovan’s attorney in the civil case, Robert J. Luder, denied all claims by the family, a court document stated.
There is no set court date for the next hearing in the civil case.
Past reporting on this case: Lenexa man pleads guilty to first-degree murder for killing wife and son
