Following a guilty plea to first-degree murder a Nowata County woman was sentenced to life without parole. Rhonda Jane Robirds, 40, was sentenced by Nowata-Washington County District Judge Curtis Delap following her guilty plea. In accepting the plea, Delap granted the request of Assistant District Attorney Scott Julian to withdraw the bill of particulars thus removing the possibility of a death sentence.

According to the statement of facts to which Robirds pleaded, on Feb. 12, 2006, Robirds instructed Joshua Hill, then 21, of Coffeyville, to shoot her husband, Steven Means, 49, at the family home east of Lenapah.

Following this act, Robirds enlisted her teenage children to assist in removing Means’ body to a location in rural Labette County, where the body was weighted down with cement blocks and dumped into a creek. Robirds and her children then attempted to remove evidence of the crime with home cleaning products.

Robirds waived her right to remain in the county jail for an additional 10 days and asked to be delivered to the custody of the Department of Corrections as soon as possible. She will be held by Nowata County Sheriff Jim Hallett until that time.

According to District Attorney Rick Esser, Hill is scheduled to also plead to murder on May 11.