Suspect In Murder Of OKC Bookstore Owner Pleads Guilty

Kenton Busby, 42, pleaded guilty on Monday morning to first degree murder and arson. Police say he is the man responsible for killing a beloved bookstore owner in September 2017.

The victim was Kelly Hays, the owner of 30 Penn Books. Hays started his career in law. He was a prosecutor and a judge, then opened a bookstore for over a decade.

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Hays’ family was in court for the hearing. Busby apologized.

“Anyone who is capable of what he did to Kelly. He stabbed him 19 times and Kelly tried to escape. He chased him, stabbed him again, and then he piled books on top of him and set him on fire,” said Michael Hays, his brother, “That viciousness and inhumane kind of conduct, I just don’t buy his sense of remorse here.”  

Collen Hays, his sister said, “There is gaping hole in my life, so it’s not like there is closure.”

But the family is very grateful for the work of the police and prosecutors.

READ ALSO: Family Relieved After OKC Police Arrest Murder Suspect

Busby will face life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, and life in prison for arson.