Accused of killing a disabled woman and hiding her body in a closet to avoid police detection, a Columbia man admitted his guilt Friday and will now spend 30 years in prison.
Adam Alfred Conner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Patricia “Patty” Kelly, 59. She was found Oct. 10, 2022, in a garage closet that had been barricaded with a 40-pound bag of birdseed.
Police officers discovered the body under a rug with a wheelchair stacked on top of it.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed two additional charges — tampering with physical evidence and armed criminal action. The state recommended a 30-year sentence, and the judge agreed.
According to court documents, Kelly suffered blunt-force trauma to her head before Conner tried to hide her body.
Investigators later found blood on the garage floor and on the rug. They also recovered blood-soaked clothing and a claw hammer in garbage bags outside the house on High Quest Drive. Kelly’s injuries were consistent with the hammer’s claw end, police said.
Kelly was reported missing after a concerned roommate contacted police. Earlier that same day, firefighters had responded to medical alarms at the house but were told Kelly was in the hospital. Conner later gave detectives an account of her disappearance that conflicted with the firefighters’ timeline.
Before the cause of death was known, he denied hurting Kelly, telling investigators, “I’ve never hit anybody in my entire life. I’m not that kind of person.”
Conner, now 40, was on parole at the time of Kelly’s death. His criminal record includes convictions for felony stealing, burglary, driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
During the sentencing hearing, Mark Thomas spoke on behalf of the Kelly family.
“Patty was a beautiful spirit, and we miss her dearly,” he said. “We take this plea of guilty as justice for Patty.”