Grain Valley couple sentenced to life in prison for woman’s murder

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A judge sentenced Michael Hendricks and Maggie Ybarra to life in prison plus decades more for the murder of Kensie Aubry.

In July, a Jackson County jury convicted Hendricks of first-degree murder, harassment, attempted enticement of a child, child molestation and sexual misconduct.

A jury found Maggie Ybarra guilty of second-degree murder, harassment, attempted enticement of a child, sexual misconduct, attempted tampering with physical evidence, and three counts of attempted tampering with a victim.

The jury found Ybarra not guilty of two counts of possession of child pornography and not guilty of sexual exploitation.

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The case began to unfold in July 2021, when investigators followed a tip from a teenage girl. The teenager reported Hendricks and Ybarra bragged about burying the body of a woman they killed near Hendricks’ home in Grain Valley, Missouri.

Investigators eventually discovered the remains of Kensie Aubry. She was reported missing from the Independence area about eight months before investigators found her remains.

At trial, prosecutors said Ybarra was friends with Aubry and lured her to a location for Hendricks to kill her to fulfill a fantasy of his.

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