Ellis County man accused of killing wife found competent; sentencing set for January

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

A Ellis County man who was accused of killing his wife in 2022 has been found competent to serve a prison sentence.

Jay Schumacher's attorney had requested an evaluation to determine if he was eligible to serve his sentence at Larned Correction Facility, in a secure mental health facility, instead of serving a standard prison sentence.

Jay Schumacher, 67, Hays, who was accused of beating his wife to death, pleaded no contest to three felony charges that are expected to put him behind bars for a decade or more.

Schumacher was first charged with killing his wife, Karen Schumacher, in 2022.

According to court documents, Jay Schumacher was initially charged with murder in the first degree — mistreatment of a dependent adult, aggravated battery, domestic battery and mistreatment of a dependent adult.

This week, after an evaluation by clinical staff at Larned, Schumacher was determined to qualify for routine disposition of his case.

According to Schumacher's plea agreement, he agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and mistreatment of a dependent adult.

The voluntary manslaughter plea is an Alford plea. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not have to admit to the criminal act and can maintain innocence. It also allows the state to reach an agreement on the length of a prison sentence that may not have coincided with the actual charge.

Under the agreement, both parties agreed Schumacher would serve a minimum sentence of 114 months, or nine years and six months in prison for counts one and two, voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery.

A sentencing has been set for 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 in front of Judge Glenn Braun in Ellis County District Court.