Man receives life sentence for 2014 murder in McPherson County

A 47-year-old man has been ordered to serve life in prison, plus more than eight years for leading a conspiracy to kill another man in McPherson County in 2014.

Samuel N. Darrah pleaded no contest in November to first-degree felony murder, attempted aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery in the death of 39-year-old James A. Croft. He was sentenced Tuesday by District Judge John B. Klenda and won’t be eligible for parole on the murder conviction for 25 years, according to a news release from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s Office.

Darrah’s co-defendants Clinton Bascue, 33, and Kamra Farrell, 29, are also serving prison terms for their roles in Croft’s killing.

Bascue received a life sentence, Schmidt’s office said. Farrell was sent to prison for nearly 27 years.

Croft was found in a vehicle in a ditch near Galva in November 2014, suffering from stab wounds, according to reports from the McPherson Sentinel. A plan by Darrah, Bascue and Farrell to confront Croft over a laptop computer and more than $3,000 they thought he took from them prompted the attack, the newspaper said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Man receives life sentence for 2014 murder in McPherson County."