The suspect in the 2021 death of Michael Kroll, formerly of Archuleta County, entered a guilty plea on Jan. 3, with the plea agreement then being approved by 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Wilson on Jan. 6.
Under the agreement, Glenn Canyon Lee Hunt, 62, is pleading guilty to murder in the second degree.
The agreement states, “In Archuleta County, Colorado, on or about October 16, 2021, Defendant knowingly caused the death of Michael James Kroll.”
The agreement indicates an agreed-upon sentence of 18 years in the Department of Corrections, but later notes penalties could range from a minimum of 16 years imprisonment to 48 years maximum, followed by a mandatory parole period of five years.
Per the agreement, Hunt “agrees to pay restitution for any dismissed or reduced charge per this plea. Defendant will pay costs, fees, and restitution, if any.”
It later notes the defendant “could be fined in an amount not less than $5,000.00 but not more than $1,000,000 in lieu of or in addition to any period of imprisonment.”
Hunt was arrested in August of 2023 in Kit Carson County.
According to a press release previously issued by the Pagosa Springs Police Department, Kroll was reported missing from the Pagosa Springs area on Oct. 19, 2021, and his remains were later located in a remote area of La Plata County on Sept. 25, 2022.
Hunt, formerly of Archuleta County, was identified through a joint investigation by the Pagosa Springs Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the press release notes.
Sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 21 in front of Wilson.
randi@pagosasun.com
