Deal with the Devil: How a Sadistic Sugar Daddy Scheme Ended in Tragedy

Background: An Unlikely Bond Built on Exploitation

Maggie Ybarra’s path to a life sentence began decades before her arrest [03:49]. Born in Hawaii to teenage parents struggling with addiction, Ybarra experienced severe childhood trauma, including sexual abuse at age five and homelessness by age thirteen [04:04]. By her teenage years, she was forced into sex work and fell into severe methamphetamine addiction [04:21].

In Valentine’s Day 2020, while working as an escort in Kansas City, Ybarra met 40-year-old Michael Hendricks [01:46]. On the surface, Hendricks was a successful IT entrepreneur, family man, and local hobbyist who shared aviation videos on YouTube [05:37]. Privately, he harbored dark, violent sexual fetishes [05:59].

What started as a standard client transaction quickly evolved into a lucrative, highly transactional relationship [06:28]. Hendricks funded Ybarra’s home, car, and living expenses in exchange for her indulging his extreme violent fantasies and dark roleplay [06:58].

Escalation: From Fantasies to Premeditated Violence

Over the course of 2020, Hendricks’ dark fixations intensified [11:50]. Ybarra noted his frightening back tattoos depicting demonic scenes and violent acts, as well as his persistent discussions about strangulation during sex [07:29].

Forensic records revealed that Hendricks conducted internet searches regarding:

• The fastest methods to kill someone with bare hands [08:53]

• Snuff films, strangulation techniques, and death fetishes [09:45]

• Methods for evading digital tracing and cell phone tracking [14:53]

• Necrophilia and buying barbed wire online [15:08]

Ybarra admitted during her prison interview that she was aware of his fixations and online searches [09:35]. Driven by financial gain and her own heavy drug use, she continued to facilitate his fantasies and agreed to bring other women into their encounters [13:03].

The Murder of Kenzie Aubrey

In October 2020, Ybarra targeted 32-year-old Kenzie Aubrey [13:37]. Aubrey, a neighbor and friend originally from Texas, was struggling with substance abuse and in a vulnerable situation [13:44]. On the evening of October 6, 2020, Ybarra invited Aubrey to her house under the guise of smoking meth together [15:30].

The following morning, October 7, 2020:

• 08:00 AM: Hendricks arrived at Ybarra’s home to join them [16:36].

• 08:20 AM: During a consensual three-way encounter in bed, Hendricks got on top of Aubrey and placed his hands around her neck [17:46].

• The Attack: Hendricks manually strangled Aubrey for over four minutes [21:05]. Despite Aubrey tapping his arm in distress, Ybarra made no attempt to intervene, call for help, or stop Hendricks, choosing instead to look away as her friend lost consciousness [18:40].

The Aftermath and Chaotic Cover-Up

Immediately following the murder, Hendricks casually dressed, took business calls, and left Ybarra alone with Aubrey’s body [25:37]. The two then initiated a multi-stage attempt to conceal the crime [25:14]:

1. Freezer Storage: Hendricks carried Aubrey’s body to the basement freezer at Ybarra’s residence [25:29].

2. U-Haul Transport: The next day, Ybarra helped Hendricks load the freezer containing Aubrey’s remains into a rented U-Haul truck to transport it to his property [26:16].

3. Helicopter Disposal Attempt: Hendricks dismembered the body, placed the remains into containers, and loaded them onto his private helicopter at Lee’s Summit Airport [26:50]. Ybarra flew with him to a sandbar on the Missouri River [27:13]. When the containers failed to sink as intended, Hendricks panicked, retrieved them, and flew back to his property [27:42].

4. Final Burial: Hendricks borrowed a backhoe from a neighbor and buried the remains on his rural property directly beneath his bedroom window [28:05].

The Key Witness: A Daughter Breaks the Silence

For nearly nine months, Kenzie Aubrey remained a missing person, leaving her mother, Cindy Aubrey, desperately searching for answers [24:11].

The breakthrough came from an unexpected source: Ybarra’s estranged 13-year-old daughter [33:38].

In early 2021, Ybarra reconnected with her teenage daughter, who was living in foster care [34:49]. During visits, Ybarra and Hendricks subjected the child to horrific environment—showing her graphic photographs of Aubrey’s deceased body, boasting about the murder, and attempting to coerce her into inappropriate situations [34:29].

Recognizing the gravity of what she had seen and heard, the 13-year-old girl bravely reported the confession and photos to authorities [33:38]. Investigators used her testimony to locate the burial site on Hendricks’ property [41:14].

When police intervened, Ybarra actively tried to discredit her daughter, labeling her a liar and mental health patient in an effort to protect herself [38:43].