VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man accused of killing a mother and her son in a murder-for-hire plot in Virginia Beach nearly two decades ago pleaded guilty to all charges on Thursday.
Richard Stoner, an Army veteran, is accused of shooting and killing Lois Schmidt and her 7-year-old son Jonathan Vetrano in 2004. Police arrested Stoner in 2018.
He faces the following charges:
- 2 counts of first-degree murder
- Aggravated murder
- Aggravated malicious wounding
- Statutory burglary of a dwelling
- Four counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony
- Conspiracy to commit a felony
- Arson of an occupied dwelling
- Torture/mutilation of a dog causing death
When he first appeared in court, Stoner testified that her husband, Christopher Schmidt, hired him to carry out the murders.
At the time of his arrest, Stoner lived in Indiana. Virginia Beach police detectives flew there to talk to him.
Prosecutors said the detectives had a proffer letter from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. That letter essentially gave Stoner the ability to give police a preview of information he could bring to the table if prosecutors were willing to cut a deal.
During the interaction in Indiana, police got a taped interview and confession, which was admitted as evidence.
In January 2022, Stoner’s lawyer argued that the evidence should be thrown out, saying that it’s unclear if investigators violated Stoner’s right to counsel and that Stoner said he wanted his lawyer multiple times.
In 2021, Stoner was allowed to retract his initial guilty plea. That’s because he entered the plea and made a plea agreement when Virginia still had the death penalty.
According to court records, Stoner is now set to be sentenced on May 1.
