KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? A Lawrence woman was sentenced to nine years in prison for taking part in a conspiracy to kill a witness in a federal drug trial, U.S. Atty. Eric Melgren said.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil sentenced Kimberley Marie Sanders, 28, the last of the five defendants in the case, in federal court Friday.

“Ms. Sander’s role was to appear to befriend the witness and to gather information to be used in planning the murder of the witness,” Melgren said in a prepared statement.

In October, Sanders and a co-defendant, Chaconie L. Edwards, also 28, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Sanders admitted in her plea she took part in a conspiracy to kill a Lawrence woman who was cooperating with law enforcement officers in the investigation of a cocaine trafficking ring led by Andre Lamar Ivory, authorities said.

Ivory was sentenced to life in prison in May. He and another defendant, Pamela Tyler, were convicted of conspiracy to kill a witness, attempting to kill a witness and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Prosecutors said the witness had purchased drugs from Ivory, who was indicted in 2004 on charges of distributing crack cocaine. Melgren said Ivory made arrangements in phone conversations from jail to have the other conspirators eliminate the witness while he was awaiting trial.

Sanders called the target frequently in April 2004 to determine where she would be at certain times, Melgren said.

Kyle Anthony Crayton, 25, of Kansas City, Kan., shot the witness in both legs on April 29, 2004, but the witness did not die, Melgren said. Crayton was sentenced to 19 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to kill a federal witness and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Edwards was sentenced to seven years in prison. Tyler got 60 years in prison.