Man pleads guilty in hammer slaying of stepfather
A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Friday to killing his stepfather with a hammer and a sledge hammer and leaving the body at the bottom of a partially filled swimming pool.
Bryon C. Harvey, 42, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the second-degree murder of 70-year-old Hal D. Cornell in May 2014 at 10924 Poplar Ave. Harvey told Cornell’s wife he discovered the body in the pool and didn’t know what to do so he left it there. The next day, however, Harvey confessed to an intern at the International House of Prayer. Harvey told police he and his stepfather had a fight and the older man had a gun. Harvey said he hit Cornell with a hammer and then a sledgehammer before throwing his body into the pool.
| Matt Campbell, mcampbell@kcstar.com
This story was originally published June 19, 2015 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Man pleads guilty in hammer slaying of stepfather."