MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Jerry L. Allen was sentenced Monday to life in prison for the 1982 shooting death of Michael McKeown, with a consecutive conspiracy sentence pushing his parole eligibility to after 20 years.
Reno County District Judge Keith Schroeder imposed the life sentence for Allen’s first-degree murder conviction, which carries parole eligibility after 15 years. Schroeder also sentenced Allen to five to 20 years for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and ordered the sentences served consecutively.
The combined sentences mean Allen must serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. Eligibility does not guarantee release.
In August, a Reno County jury found Allen guilty of intentional, premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit intentional, premeditated first-degree murder.
The convictions stem from McKeown’s death between March 23 and March 24, 1982. McKeown was found the morning of March 24 inside his vehicle behind his residence at 320 Sherman in Hutchinson. He had been shot three times.
The case remained unsolved for more than four decades before authorities reopened the investigation. Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Allen in 2024. The case was referred to the Reno County District Attorney’s Office, which later filed charges.