Judge Rules On Resentencing For Duo Convicted Of Killing 3-Year-Old

NAPA COUNTY, CA — A Napa County judge denied a request to be resentenced from a Napa woman and her live-in boyfriend convicted in the murder of her 3-year-old daughter, Kayleigh Slusher, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced.

Napa County Superior Court Francisca Tisher’s rulings to deny the resentencing of Sara Lynn Krueger, 34, and Ryan Scott Warner, 36, took place during separate hearings conducted last week in Napa.

Krueger and Warner stand convicted of assault on a child causing death and first-degree murder of Kayleigh.

Police found the child's lifeless body Feb. 1, 2014, in a suitcase in an East Napa apartment where she lived with Krueger and Warner. Kayleigh had bruises covering her body and had been badly beaten and tortured by Krueger and Warner who had fled the apartment prior to police arrival, the DA's Office said.

It is believed Kayleigh died at least a day before she was found, and the couple admitted to police they put her body in a freezer, according to court records.

The couple was arrested Feb. 2, 2014 at an El Cerrito BART station after someone saw them at a restaurant in that city and called the police.

The Napa County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted Krueger and Warner together and two separate juries found them both guilty in May 2017 of the crimes they stand convicted of.

The Napa County District Attorney's Office did not seeking the death penalty against the defendants. The couple was originally sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Their sentences were reduced in 2021 after the Court of Appeal reversed the juries’ findings of the special circumstance of torture, finding there was insufficient evidence they harbored the intent to kill Kayleigh.

Krueger is currently serving 25 years to life at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, and Warner is serving 25 years to life at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.

At the time of Kayleigh's death, her biological father, Jason Slusher, was serving three years in San Quentin State Prison for attempting to evade a police officer while driving recklessly in Napa County.

Krueger and Warner each filed a petition to be resentenced in accordance with a change in California law. Under Senate Bill 1437, which became effective Jan. 1, 2019, a person can be convicted of murder only if they actually killed the person, helped in the killing with the intent to kill, or were a major participant in a felony, and acted with reckless indifference to human life.

This means that people who didn't kill, intend to kill, or act with extreme disregard for human life can no longer be charged with murder just because they were involved in a related felony. The law also allows people previously convicted under the old rule to apply for resentencing. During the separate resentencing hearings, Deputy District Attorney Kecia Lind argued that neither defendant met their burden to show that they qualified under the new resentencing statute.

"Krueger and Warner were both major participants in Kayleigh’s death and given their culpability in the murder, neither of them is the type of defendant that the State Legislature intended for this law to apply," Lind said.

Kayleigh would have been 14 years old today, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said.

"My heart remains heavy as we remember Kayleigh Slusher, who would have been 14 years old today had her life not been cut short by these acts of unimaginable cruelty," Haley said. "The court's decision to deny resentencing for her murderers reaffirms the People’s desire for justice and to ensure that those responsible for such heinous acts remain accountable."

Victim Advocate Belinda Ruiz assisted DDA Lind during the resentencing hearings.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website, Warner is eligible for parole in April 2029 and Krueger is eligible for parole in April 2031.

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Appeals Court Reverses Torture Charge In Napa Toddler's Death
• Napa Jury Deliberates In Trial Of Man Charged In 3-Year-Old Girl's Killing
• Napa Couple Convicted Of Torturing, Murdering Woman's 3-Year-Old Daughter
• Mother, Boyfriend To Stand Trial For Girl's Torture Murder
• Mother, Boyfriend Plead Not Guilty to Murder of 3-Year-Old
• Police: Napa Couple Charged With Murder Admit Keeping 3-Year-Old's Body in Freezer