Ark Valley News - Accomplice receives life sentence for murders

Accomplice receives life sentence for murders
By David Dinell
Last Updated: November 07, 2016

Andrew Ellington will spend most, if not all, of his adult life in prison. Ellington was sentenced Aug. 27 as he appeared before District Judge Warren Wilbert as a defendant in the murder case of rural Valley Center residents Melissa and Roger Bluml.

Ellington was sentenced to life in prison on a first-degree murder conviction. However, he will be eligible for parole in 25 years. If he gets that parole, he then will need to start serving a 155-month sentence, or almost 13 years, for his role in the murder.

That means Ellington, now 20, will be at least 57 before he can be released.

On June 23, Ellington pleaded no contest to the first- and second-degree murder charges he faced. He had previously pleaded not guilty, but those pleas were changed as part of an agreement worked out with District Attorney's Marc Bennett's office.

As part of the agreement, Ellington can't appeal his conviction or prison term. By taking the no-contest route, he avoided being put on trial for capital murder and a possible death penalty. Also, as part of the deal, he didn't face charges of robbery and burglary.

Ellington is one of three former Valley Center High School students involved in the case.

Earlier, on June 16, Kisha Schaberg and her biological son, Anthony "Tony" Bluml, were both sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Bluml, 20, is the adoptive son of the murdered couple. Schaberg, 36, shot the couple on the evening of Nov. 15, 2013, outside of their home in the belief that Bluml would collect assets from their estate.

After being shot in the head in their vehicle when they got home, both Melissa, 53, and Roger Bluml, 48, were taken to the hospital, where Melissa died the following day. About five weeks later, Roger died from his injuries.

Ellington was responsible for driving Schaberg to and from the scene and holding a gun to Roger's head.

Bennett was not at the sentencing as he was at a trial in El Dorado, but earlier he said that while Ellington was "the least involved" of the group and didn't pull the trigger, he was still a vital part of the plot and is responsible for his actions.

The fourth and final defendant in the case is Braden Smith.

As part of deal worked out with Bennett, Smith said he would testify against Ellington in exchange for facing the lesser charge of two counts of second-degree murder.

Smith now is set for a jury trial Sept. 14, but that will change if he pleads guilty.

Bennett has said that he expects the entire case to be completed by late November.

As it has in the past hearings, the courtroom was crowded with Bluml family members and friends of the couple. Ellington appeared in a dark blazer, white shirt and tan pants for the 20-minute hearing and was represented by attorney Jay Greeno. Upon entering, he glanced at the courtroom gallery, but showed little emotion during the proceedings.

A family member, Patty Bluml, read a brief statement to the court, thanking law enforcement and taking Ellington to task for his role in the murders. She asked Ellington why he didn't just stop and turn around instead of driving to the Blumls' residence.

"But you didn't, you wanted an ambush," she said.

While Ellington didn't pull the trigger of the murder weapon, his role cannot be understated, she said.

"Although you plead no contest, you are guilty," she said.

The loss of the Roger and Melissa Bluml continues to impact the extended family, she said. During family gatherings, their absence is felt, she said.

"There are holes in our lives," she said.

After the statement, she hugged another family member and there were tears from both.

Ellington told Wilbert he had nothing to say, but his attorney read a brief statement, saying that Ellington "really wished he had an answer" as to why he did what he did, but there was no answer. Greeno also said that Ellington didn't realize "how quickly lives could be lost."

With the hearing concluded, Ellington was led out of the courtroom by two of the five Sedgwick County deputies present.

His eyes darted around quickly, taking in the courtroom scene and briefly looking at the family seated in the court's front row.