Death of Kent Leppink

Kent Leppink was a fisherman who was killed in Hope, Alaska, in May 1996. His former fiancée, Mechele Linehan, and former roommate, John Carlin, were convicted of murdering him in 2007, but the judgments were reversed on appeal.[1][2][3] Carlin died in prison in 2008 and Alaska prosecutors ultimately decided against indicting Linehan a second time.

Kent Leppink's murder

Kent Leppink was a Michigan native who moved to Alaska to work as a fisherman. He met Linehan at a striptease club. Between 1994 and 1996, Linehan was romantically involved with Leppink and a man named John Carlin at the same time. For several months the three lived in the same house in Anchorage.[4] On May 2, 1996, Leppink (age 36) was found dead in Hope, Alaska, with three .44 caliber Desert Eagle gunshot wounds.[2] Linehan was arrested over 10 years later in October 2006 and convicted of his murder on October 22, 2007, but the verdict was overturned in February 2010.[2]

Trial and appeal

At trial, Linehan was accused of conspiring with John Carlin to kill Leppink.[1] The government said that Linehan's motive was that she was the beneficiary of Leppink's $1 million life insurance policy.[5] Leppink changed the beneficiary on the policy a few days before his death.[6][7]

On October 22, 2007, Linehan was convicted of murder. On April 2, 2008, she was sentenced to 99 years and transferred to Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River, Alaska.[8] Carlin had also been convicted of murder in April 2007.[4] He was found bludgeoned to death in his cell at the Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska, on October 27, 2008.[9][10] His conviction was reversed on January 21, 2015. Because Carlin died while his case was under appeal, his estate was allowed to continue the appeal.[11]

On February 5, 2010, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned Linehan's conviction.[4][5] The court concluded it was improper for the trial court to allow two pieces of evidence into the trial: testimony about the movie The Last Seduction, and a letter written by Leppink in the days before he died. The letter, which Leppink wrote to his parents, said Linehan, Carlin, or Scott Hilke were "probably" responsible if he died under "suspicious circumstances".

Until May 11, 2010, Linehan was incarcerated at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. On April 28, 2010, a judge set a $250,000 appearance bond as a condition of her bail. On May 11, 2010, an east coast corporate executive, Brian C. Watt, from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, donated the money necessary to release Linehan from prison, paying a $25,000 bail bondsman fee.[1]

On December 13, 2011, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Philip Volland dismissed the murder indictment against Linehan.[12] In his ruling, Volland wrote:

The Court of Appeals repeatedly stated that the "letter from the grave" "appreciably affected" the jury's verdict at Linehan's trial. If it did so at a trial where the evidence was contested, defense counsel present, and the jury given an even stronger limiting instruction on the use of the letter, this court cannot find that Betsy Leppink's repetition of Kent Leppink's accusatory statement in the letter was not a decisive factor in the grand jury's decision to indict. Therefore, the indictment should be dismissed.[12]

On August 6, 2012, Alaska prosecutors announced they would not indict Linehan again.[13]

Media reporting

On July 27, 2008, Linehan's case was profiled on Dateline NBC. An update aired on May 22, 2009.[14]

On January 29, 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped.[15]

Also in 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on the CBS series 48 Hours. The episode was named "Love and Death in Alaska".[16]

Linehan's case was also profiled in 2009 as part of the E! network program, Fatal Beauty: 15 Most Notorious Women.[17]

On January 22, 2018, Linehan's case was profiled on the Investigation Discovery series People Magazine Investigates, episode "Alaskan Temptress".[18][19]

References
  1. Holland, Megan (May 13, 2010). "Stranger puts up bail, Linehan leaves prison". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  2. Tresniowski, Alex (November 5, 2007). "Alaskan Temptress". People. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  3. "Ex-stripper sentenced in plot to kill former fiance". CNN. April 3, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  4. Michele K. Linehan v. State of Alaska. Alaska Court of Appeals Opinion
  5. Holland, Megan (February 6, 2010). "Court overturns Linehan conviction". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  6. "Ex-stripper accused in plot similar to the 1994 movie". AP via NBC News. October 11, 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  7. Holland, Megan (April 3, 2008). "Linehan sentenced to 99 years". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  8. Holland, Megan (April 30, 2008). "Linehan adds heavy hitters to legal team". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  9. Joling, Dan (2008-10-28). "Triggerman in notorious AK murder found dead". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  10. Holland, Megan (October 31, 2008). "Prison inmate Carlin beaten to death, troopers say". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  11. Estate of John Carlin III v. State of Alaska Archived 2015-02-04 at the Wayback Machine Alaska Supreme Court. 21 January 2015.
  12. Grove, Casey (December 14, 2011). "Judge dismisses murder indictment against Mechele Linehan". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  13. Klint, Chris; Ross, Mike (August 6, 2012). "State Prosecutors Won't Seek New Mechele Linehan Indictment: Defense Attorney Claims Evidence Withheld". KTUU-TV. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
  14. "The stripper and the steelworker". NBC News. July 27, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  15. https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/photos/episode-4-mechele-linehan Oxygen.com – Season 7, Episode 4: Mechele Linehan
  16. "48 Hours | Love and Death in Alaska". No. 26 December 2015. CBS Interactive Inc. CBS News. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  17. http://www.livedash.com/transcript/fatal_beauty__15_most_notorious_women/6834/EP/Tuesday_August_25_2009/80245/ Archived 2011-10-09 at the Wayback Machine Fatal Beauty: 15 Most Notorious Women
  18. "People Magazine Investigates | Alaskan Temptress". TVGuide.com. CBS Interactive Inc. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  19. "Alaskan Temptress | People Magazine Investigates". investigationdiscovery.com. Discovery Communications LLC. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.

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