On Jan. 30, 2026, a Pierce County judge sentenced Ronald Eugene Krier to 28 years and 11 months in prison after he admitted to killing his ex-wife, Lisha Krier. The Bonney Lake woman was found dead in her home on July 5, 2024, following what prosecutors say was a long pattern of threats and harassment. Krier, 55, entered his guilty plea just as lawyers were picking a jury.
High-end sentence after last-minute plea
Judge Philip Thornton handed down the nearly 29-year sentence after Krier pleaded guilty to domestic-violence first-degree murder and two counts of violating a no-contact order, according to The News Tribune. The plea came right as the trial was set to begin and replaced earlier aggravated first-degree murder charges. Defense lawyers pushed for a lower term, submitting a psychological report that said Krier had major depressive disorder, anger dysregulation, and alcohol-use disorder.
Medical examiner confirms identity
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 53-year-old Lisha Krier and initially listed the cause and manner of her July 5, 2024, death as pending in a county news release. That release placed the incident near the 20300 block of 113th Street East in Bonney Lake, where deputies were called for a welfare check. County records helped investigators build an early timeline, which prosecutors later cited in court filings.
Repeated threats and a lapsed protection order
Prosecutors told investigators that Lisha Krier had documented threats stretching back several years and that she filed divorce papers and domestic-violence protection orders between 2020 and 2023, as reported by The News Tribune. The last protection order expired two days before she was killed. A June 2023 confrontation at a grocery-store bakery, when Krier allegedly threatened her and made a slashing motion across his throat, was referred to prosecutors but was not charged until after her death. Prosecutors told the paper that the delay was tied to a backlog the county has since worked to reduce.
What investigators say happened
Court documents summarized in media reporting describe surveillance video that shows Krier backing his truck into the driveway, then arguing with his ex-wife on the front porch before sounds of a struggle from inside the house, according to Yahoo News. He left about 15 minutes later. His daughter later called 911 after getting text messages saying her mother was dead. Auburn police arrested Krier later that day after deputies issued an alert and officers located his truck. Prosecutors wrote that, while he was being transported to Pierce County, Krier allegedly said, “I’m just glad that [expletive] is dead. She deserved it.”
Legal context
Krier’s guilty plea to domestic-violence first-degree murder and his admissions to violating no-contact orders carried substantial prison exposure under Washington law. Prosecutors had initially charged aggravated first-degree murder. Under state statute, an aggravated first-degree murder conviction can result in life imprisonment without the possibility of release, subject to narrow exceptions (see RCW 10.95.030). Court filings say the plea agreement reflected concerns about potential proof issues at trial and also spared the couple’s children from having to testify.
