Platte County man gets 25 years in prison for killing girlfriend’s father

A Platte County man was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for killing his girlfriend’s father in a 2011 altercation.

Brandon L. Church, 22, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a three-day trial in April. The victim, Kerry Deyo, 45, intervened in an argument between Church and Deyo’s daughter at a residence in the 1800 block of Gates Drive West.

Church put Deyo into a headlock, choked him, pulled him down, sat on him and repeatedly punched him in the face, said Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd.

Church then kicked Deyo and said, “I think he’s dead.” Before fleeing, he rifled through Deyo’s pockets. Deyo, who sustained significant head wounds, died from multiple blunt force trauma.

Deyo suffered a broken neck and probably was paralyzed after Church choked him, Zahnd said.

This story was originally published May 19, 2014 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Platte County man gets 25 years in prison for killing girlfriend’s father."