Kylie Kunzie, 46, of Imperial has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for setting fire to the house where he was living in May 2018 and then going to his neighbors’ home on the pretext of using their phone to call 911 and holding the neighbors hostage with a knife until law enforcement arrived, according to court records.
Kunzie pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of second-degree arson, and on Dec. 19, 2018, Jefferson County Div. 14 Associate Circuit Judge Timothy Miller sentenced Kunzie to 25 years for each count of kidnapping and armed criminal action and seven years for arson. However, all five terns will be served concurrently, or at the same time, court papers show.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Angela D. Tindall handled the case.
At 6:53 a.m. May 2, authorities got a call about a fire at a home in the 1100 block of Wolf Hollow Road in Imperial. Five minutes later, before authorities arrived on the scene of the fire, however, Kunzie called them and said he was at a nearby house in the 6200 block of Hulda Drive holding a man and a woman hostage, the probable-cause statement said.
The man who was held hostage told authorities he knew Kunzie and allowed him into his home and then let Kunzie use his cell phone. After Kunzie called 911 to report the fire, he pulled out a large black-handled knife and ordered the man and his wife to go into a bedroom, the report said.
The male victim said that once he and his wife were in the bedroom, Kunzie told them if they tried to move or get away, he would kill them. The male victim also said Kunzie pointed the knife at them and “made several slashing motions” at them with it and almost struck the male victim with the knife, according to the report.
In addition, the male victim said Kunzie made statements about “something being a trap” and that “they’re coming to kill me,” the report said.
Once deputies arrived on the scene, they attempted to negotiate with Kunzie through an open window, separated only by a window screen. During the negotiations, Kunzie slashed the window screen with the knife, according to the report.
Kunzie eventually agreed to free the woman. Then, once the woman was outside the home, Kunzie escorted the male victim at knife point to the front door, and the victim tried to rush outside, with a deputy grabbing his arm to help pull him outside. Kunzie also grabbed the victim by the arm and tried to pull him back inside, but the victim broke free with the help of the deputy, according to the report.
Kunzie went to the back of the home and got a hunting rifle and paced around the house with it, but eventually he surrendered to deputies and was taken into custody without further incident, the report said.
Later, authorities learned that Kunzie had been living with relatives at the home on Wolf Hollow for about 11 months after serving 25 years in prison. Authorities also learned that Kunzie allegedly had told witnesses he wanted to return to prison, according to the report.
The investigation revealed Kunzie started the fire at his relatives’ home before going to the neighboring home, which was about 20 feet away. The fire caused an estimated $5,000 in damage, the report said.
Kunzie previously served 25 years in prison for first-degree assault and armed criminal action, both felonies, stemming from a March 1992 incident in St. Louis.
In addition, Kunzie previously was convicted of felony second-degree burglary tied to a July 1990 incident in St. Louis County and to three counts of felony burning or exploding, one count of felony second-degree burglary and one count of felony second-degree arson connected to a June 1990 incident in St. Louis County, according to court documents.
Kunzie currently is in the Eastern Reception and Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.