KY woman convicted of killing mother released from prison after 20 years
A former Georgetown woman convicted of killing her mother in 2005 has been released from prison after 20 years.
Stephanie Olson, 41, was released from the Kentucky Department of Corrections on Tuesday — five years before her full sentence was up.
In 2005, Olson was sentenced by a Scott County jury to 25 years in prison for complicity to murder in the death of mother, Diane Snellen.
Snellen’s nude body was found in Olson’s bedroom on June 6, 2002. She had been stabbed 27 times, according to previous Herald-Leader reporting.
Snellen was 41 at the time of her death, the same age Olson is now.
David Dressman, Olson’s former boyfriend, and Tim Crabtree, were found to have planned Snellen’s stabbing in hopes that Olson would inherit $300,000 worth of life insurance money.
Prosecutors said the teenage couple were angry at Snellen, who was trying to limit the amount of time they saw each other.
According to previous reporting, prosecutors never said who they think stabbed Snellen — just that all three participated in the crime.
Crabtree, now 47, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and testified in the trials of Olson and, later, Dressman. Crabtree was sentenced to six years on a charge of conspiracy to murder.
In Dressman’s trial, Crabtree said he had lied earlier when he said Dressman confessed to the murder.
Dressman, 42, was convicted of complicity to murder and complicity to burglary. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 3:13 PM.
