CONVICTION OVERTURNED AK - Kent Leppink, 36, murdered, Hope, 2 May 1996

[flourish]

I completely understand why Kent went there ... and I concur that Mechele is, and was, psychologically abusive. I have to wonder if her husband wore that sad puppy countenance and demeanor before she was arrested ... like the way he hugged her, while she seemed more interested in her lawyer's arm ... was that just the circumstances, or was he always so vulnerable around her? Women that are psychologically abusive to men turn them into sad puppies. I hope he's gotten better while his wife has been in prison, but she may still have her clutches into him. I wonder who she is seeing when he's working. Mechele's track record speaks for itself ... she's not going to be without a man while her husband is away, working hard to pay for her defense and visits with her daughter.

The letter would unfortunately turn into hearsay ... third party testimony or information ... something that cannot be subjected to cross examination, and therefore not admissible. If Mechele could be pushed into needing to mention the letter ... then it will be entered. The letter offers support of her defense that he was obsessed with her. Without the letter, can she really say that he was obsessed? John Carlin is dead, the son has moved away and who knows what he will say, and the other boyfriend thinks Mechele is a snake who stole sentimental gifts from him.

Without the "he was obsessed" argument, the conviction of Carlin, and without the letter from Kent predicting his own murder, I have to wonder how strong the case is. The insurance policy is in, so that means the marriage discussion is in since the policy was supposedly a wedding gift from her grandfather. Kent's parents could testify, but I understand his father is not in great health. The Hope letter is in. The gun is in ... but no one knows for sure where it is buried or hidden because Carlin was the only person that knew where it was ... and he's dead.

Hope note, luring, gun, insurance, a dead accomplice, a fourth party that has distanced himself, a teenager that has since grown up. Since the son can testify what happened with the gun and bleach - Mechele and John, and John Carlin's testimony cannot be introduced ... or can it ... I think that Mechele has a very uphill battle to get out from under this conviction.

We've got the teenager testifying that Mechele and his father were cleaning a gun. Mechele bought Kent a life insurance policy a couple of weeks before he was murdered. Kent removed her from the policy shortly before he was murdered. The Hope note can be identified as luring Kent to Hope. We know he showered her with gifts, and that in return she falsified information that she was making upgrades to a cabin that she bought near Hope. She skipped out on a weekend with Kent's father, and then vanished ... leaving a note indicating that John Carlin knew where she was. That means John can be placed as the shooter even though his conviction was wiped out by death, since it's possible that Kent convinced John to take him to Hope to find the cabin. There only has to be a connection between John and Mechele, and with the son's testimony about the gun - her goose is cooked.

That's what I think ... rambling on and on ...

SAD PUPPY First I started to :floorlaugh: then I felt :sick: then just :cry: and finally a little bit of :boohoo:

Excellent point with the sad puppy--so right on! There's a shot somewhere of Colin standing in front of an interior door in his fatigues with his gun strapped to his thigh all ready to go fight for his country, and he's got a look in his eye (confidence, for lack of a better word) that, I suspect, used to be there a lot more before he met Mechele. In the photos of their wedding, his med school graduation, and when their daughter was young, he looks pretty happy, but none of the photos show his sparkle more that the one right before he goes to war. I need not remind anyone, but am going to anyway, that while he's gone, Mechele flies herself and her very young daughter to a hotel room adjoined to Scott Hilke's hotel room, where she has sex with Hilke. Colin claims to have known about that before the trial, which could probably explain some initial movement into the sad puppy category.

I'm kinda rambling here, too, I know, but whatever...

I think Kent's dad says it best when he talks about Mechele "sucking men in"--he says it with a perfectly added sound effect, too. She finds a man who has something she wants, sucks all of that out of him, along with his confidence, sense of self, and anything else she can get just for the sake of it, and leaves behind:

(ETA: Photo link: http://www.onlybratzgames.com/files/image/Sad_Puppy.jpg )

I want to add, though, that these men do have some fault in this, too, as they were willing to suspend their disbelief with Mechele in order to be with her. That being said, I know for a certain, unfortunate fact that murderers do not come with clear warning labels and that, once in a relationship, it's very difficult to pull back and have a clear understanding of the dynamics. I hope that makes sense.

At the same time, though, Colin's had years and years go get out of this thing. Her initial prison sentence could have given him an incredibly easy way out...masochistic sad puppy couldn't do it, though. The broken people left in this women's wake is just depressing.

 

[flourish]

Yes, Kent needs to be interpreted by others in a re-trial (maybe a neice or nephew, a friend from home) ... the only voice Kent had was through Carlin, Mechele, his parents, and the fact that he stole money when he worked at the family store chain. The theft was resolved within the family, and outside of that he liked women, liked the casinos, enjoyed a comfortable bachelor life.

Maybe even the third boyfriend, the one that got away, has something good to say about Kent - although he has to mention the strange relationship between him, Mechele, and the two other men that thought they would marry her ... while he too thought he was engaged to Mechele. He shared her bed, so he figured his engagement was real. Mechele shared a murder plot with Carlin, so he thought their marriage was real. Kent had introduced Mechele to his parents, so he thought family was real. I don't think the guy that was in bed with her can claim some kind of privilege, or that his relationship with Mechele counted more than the guy that was set to get some part of the million dollar life insurance and run off to an Island that didn't have extradition. I suspect they both thought their marriage proposal was real, as did Kent. Mechele found their weaknesses, and exploited them. One fiance wanted sex, the other wanted money, and the third wanted a family ... she played it all. I wonder what her husband needed that she exploited. All of the above?

RBBM-ITA--I hope the new prosecutor is actively working on finding additional evidence for this case, and in my little dreams, I hope he even has read here, or at the very least googles often to keep apprised of the public reaction to the case. I really hope he doesn't rely on the adn.com comments for his public perspective, though

 

[flourish]

Self-esteem ... that's it. He doesn't seem to have any during the trial. He looks more psychologically beat up than Mechele, and he's only faced with losing her, not his freedom and future.

I think it's too late for their daughter, especially since the formative years of 0 - 4 were with her mother - sometimes while the father was on a military mission. I have to wonder if her daughter has an independent thought. With such a manipulative mother, chances are she was indoctrinated, not educated. I think the best way for the daughter to cope is to set aside the idea of scamming one's way through life ... if she learned that through Mechele (and she could have learned other sociopathic ideas from her mother by the age of 5), then no matter how bright and capable she is, she may only look for the easy way ... even if it includes murder ... just like Mechele.

I can only hope that their daughter has been exposed to enough other influences to help her go down as healthy path as can be in the wake of all of this.

 

[flourish]

The problem with "right plan, wrong guy" is that John Carlin was a complete liar. He would have said anything to get out of it. I doubt that Kent would have gone to Hope with just anyone, especially leaving his car parked in front of Carlin's house, so it's unlikely that it was the "wrong guy" ... and then, there's the gun.

One of the last remarks on ... think it was the Dateline program ... was from Carlin in jail, talking to the interviewer, and he said to look at the footprints ... that he's a heavy guy and would have made deep footprints. Okay, if that's the argument that Mechele wants to make, something about footprints in the mud ... let's see it. If she points fingers at Carlin, she raises the question of whether he was convicted ... and the point of law that "a convicted prisoner can have his conviction wiped out" after being murdered in jail has to be introduced during jury deliberations (I think) ... as it's an obvious question the jury would ask if Mechele pointed fingers at him.

MMMwwwhhhaahhhaaa....awesome post, otto, thank you

 

[flourish]

LOL ... no, she doesn't love him and never has. The military doctor is just part of her social climbing. If she could have a lawyer, she could begin to enjoy the real life. Her matrimonial home, featured in a couple of family shots, is slummish (back to her roots) because she pretended to be the animal advocate ... all sorts of mess and chaos in the family home. She would toss the good doctor the minute she found a lawyer or accountant.

In her sentencing address to the judge, she talks about how they live in an older house that they were enjoying fixing up, and that they both drove older cars. I'm thinking she was patiently waiting for the business to take off, and for Colin's career to become more private and less Army-related. But, yeah, the lifestyle she was living was part of a greater plan, imo. I don't think their home looked "slummish," but perhaps that is because I'm just a jealous apartment renter who wants a house :loser:

 

[flourish]

Sometimes there's a motion to have a certain judge oversee all aspects of a case ... case manager. If the judge is impartial, is familar with all aspects of this case, and has ruled fairly, should he be removed? If both parties are in agreement that he continue ... are they? Does Linehan, who was sentenced to 99 years, have any objection to this Judge continuing on the case?

Her supporters have certainly protested it--they claim he doesn't like Mechele because she was a stripper and is and has been going out of his way to ensure she's miserable. They also complain that he is inexperienced and therefore should not be allowed to....get more experience ??? I don't know the end of that particular argument. He's pretty up there in years, so I wonder what the perceived problem is...like, I haven't looked up his credentials, but I doubt he went straight from a lifetime career as a carnival worker to Superior Court judge overnight. :crazy::crazy:

The current complaint from her supporters are that he stated that he doesn't consider her to be a flight risk, but is making her bail more restrictive than the first time, when she was allowed to be in Washington.

Although, from what I know, all of those complaints have been informal--on the free mechele blog/facebook page, adn.com comments, etc. and no formal complaint has ever been made. I would hope that if all the hoopla her supporters are making is true that they would be making formal, official, actual complaints post haste! :seeya:

I personally think Judge Volland sees her as she is--a murderer, and sentenced her as he saw fit, which was completely within the parameters of the applicable laws.

 

[flourish]

It's a slow case ... maybe the defense needs more time to explain what Mechele was doing bleaching a gun that was just like the one missing from the gun case ... with a guy that was murdered in prison ... how the million dollars can be explained ... what the Hope note really meant ... and how the successful, well-healed, bachelor fisherman ended up dead in Hope?

Hopefully it's 2011 ... thanks for the updates!

OMG Don't do that to me. Seriously. Now I'm gonna have to call Alaska next week.

The first time she was arraigned on 10/13/06 and her trial began on 09/12/07. Well poop. Maybe you're right. That would explain why they have a Pre-Trial hearing set for 4/12/11, and if the trial date was a year off, then that would mean that they set a pre-trial hearing after the start of the trial...

:thud: :thud:

Her appeal happened last February! She got out in May! May 2010 to April 2011 is a reasonable amount of time...that's closer to what she had before...May 2010 to April 2012 is just insane.

Dang it...now I'm all in a snit :banghead:

 

[otto]

SAD PUPPY First I started to :floorlaugh: then I felt :sick: then just :cry: and finally a little bit of :boohoo:

Excellent point with the sad puppy--so right on! There's a shot somewhere of Colin standing in front of an interior door in his fatigues with his gun strapped to his thigh all ready to go fight for his country, and he's got a look in his eye (confidence, for lack of a better word) that, I suspect, used to be there a lot more before he met Mechele. In the photos of their wedding, his med school graduation, and when their daughter was young, he looks pretty happy, but none of the photos show his sparkle more that the one right before he goes to war. I need not remind anyone, but am going to anyway, that while he's gone, Mechele flies herself and her very young daughter to a hotel room adjoined to Scott Hilke's hotel room, where she has sex with Hilke. Colin claims to have known about that before the trial, which could probably explain some initial movement into the sad puppy category.

I'm kinda rambling here, too, I know, but whatever...

I think Kent's dad says it best when he talks about Mechele "sucking men in"--he says it with a perfectly added sound effect, too. She finds a man who has something she wants, sucks all of that out of him, along with his confidence, sense of self, and anything else she can get just for the sake of it, and leaves behind:

(ETA: Photo link: http://www.onlybratzgames.com/files/image/Sad_Puppy.jpg )

I want to add, though, that these men do have some fault in this, too, as they were willing to suspend their disbelief with Mechele in order to be with her. That being said, I know for a certain, unfortunate fact that murderers do not come with clear warning labels and that, once in a relationship, it's very difficult to pull back and have a clear understanding of the dynamics. I hope that makes sense.

At the same time, though, Colin's had years and years to get out of this thing. Her initial prison sentence could have given him an incredibly easy way out...masochistic sad puppy couldn't do it, though. The broken people left in this women's wake is just depressing.

What guy wouldn't be drooling after having a private showing of her stripper routine? But, as with all good things, they will come to an end. I noticed in the footage of Mechele that she was gaining a little weight in prison. If she's not careful, she'll lose that little girl sex appeal, age like everyone else (or her cosmetic repairs will turn her into a freak), and that silly little girl voice will have jaws dropping because she will appear just plain ridiculous ... no longer the cutesy 20-something acting like an 8 year old appeal ... but the hardened criminal acting sexy for a buck or two.

Men were foolish to fall for it ... but she targets a type that is vulnerable to seeing what they want in the woman that is in front of them ... they are/were vulnerable to projecting their "perfect woman" onto a woman that plays a role - like Mechele. Most women would bail on a relationship where someone is projecting a perfect image, but Mechele cashed in.

Kent was looking for a wife and family, Carlin was looking for a trust money partner, Hilke was looking for someone that entertained him in bed. Colin was probably looking for the wife and mother, a financial partner, and a sexy bedmate ... instead he has a convicted murderer who sleeps with anything that moves - if there's a buck in it.

 

[otto]

Maybe Collin sticks around because she is so pathetic now ... where all her teenage or little girl feignings and wiles are lost ... and she has no second act ... some misplaced sense of responsibility

 

[otto]

RBBM-ITA--I hope the new prosecutor is actively working on finding additional evidence for this case, and in my little dreams, I hope he even has read here, or at the very least googles often to keep apprised of the public reaction to the case. I really hope he doesn't rely on the adn.com comments for his public perspective, though

I think it is really important to present Kent as the good guy that he was ... yes, he screwed up with his parents - but who didn't ... still, he was a happy go lucky guy who enjoyed bachelor life, good fortune, and a good life until he met Mechele. After that, he was engaged to Mechele, his savings were sucked dry, he was manipulated, and eventually he walked to his own death knowing that it might happen.

I don't for a minute think that Kent's understanding of "worst case scenario" is actually what he thought would happen - but it did happen. That's how I see Kent's letter to his parents ... as a "worst case scenario", a "what if" and something he didn't want anyone to know he was thinking ... unless the worst case scenario happened and he was left lying dead with a million dollar life insurance policy on his head - then he wanted people to know what he was thinking.

He was probably thinking about how he would later sit down with his roommate and fiance; tell Carlin and Linehan about how he thought they were plotting to kill him ... that they would have a couple of drinks, a couple of laughs, and all would be fine. I suspect that he thought this would happen, but put the "worst case" scenario on paper ... just in case. There must have been something really overtly freaky going on in Carlin's house for Kent to think that Carlin and Linehan would murder him ... and then it happened.

 

[otto]

In her sentencing address to the judge, she talks about how they live in an older house that they were enjoying fixing up, and that they both drove older cars. I'm thinking she was patiently waiting for the business to take off, and for Colin's career to become more private and less Army-related. But, yeah, the lifestyle she was living was part of a greater plan, imo. I don't think their home looked "slummish," but perhaps that is because I'm just a jealous apartment renter who wants a house :loser:

The picture I saw looked like more than an older house. It looked like Colin was in a messy kitchen feeding three dogs and trying to look after a child ... when we know that he was also working full time and he belongs to the military ... and Mechele was the head of the household. Even after being convicted of a murder she committed before they met, her husband appears to be struggling to maintain her fake world of "animal rescure" and keeping her as the head of the household figment.

Maybe that works to their daughter's advantage ... because if Colin is projecting his "perfect woman" image onto Mechele, then he will do that (project the image of the perfect mother) with his daughter as well ... and hopefully she's not sick like Mechele Linehan - the woman that murders for money ... so being raised as the perfect woman by a doctor in the military could be okay.

I too suspect that Linehan was trying to lure him to buy his way out of the military (7 years or so) so he could be her cosmetic surgeon while she started a cosmetic surgeon business and seduced men. She had the right industry, but she wasn't good with people ... given what she did to his practice. I wonder how that stupid sounding little girl voice went over in prison ... no wonder she needed bail with an ankle strap.

She's toast, but the husband and daughter have a chance - but not with her sucking the life out of them. Actually, he's toast too, but he should suck it up and give his daughter a chance.

 

[otto]

I think that Mechele Linehan's daughter should be cautious around her mother, because her mother doesn't know anything different than exploiting people for something she finds useful, and will never know otherwise. Is's like the daughter is in the black widow's trap, but hasn't been killed yet. How does it go with black widows again ... as soon as they've mated or gotten what they wanted ... the murder?

Personally, I think the child should be separated from the mother ... and that the only reason the child was allowed to be around the mother is because the father is a cowardly doctor, but a doctor none the less. The father should stop being a coward, realize that the 20 something stripper he married is long gone, and focus on his real life ... not the life his murderous wife wants him to live ... or the life he projected onto that crazy lady he married.

 

[Nancy2441]

Otto, What did MEchele do to Colin's practice?

 

[flourish]

It seems that Megan Holland, the reporter for the Anchorage Daily News who has been covering this case for years, is not working for ADN anymore. Her name is posted on their site as a reporter, but her contact information is no longer posted. I tried to email her using an ADN email address I'd seen before, and the email was kicked back to me.

The ADN hasn't reported when her new trial date is, either. Neither has the Free Mechele blog nor the Free Mechele facebook group page. It's all just crickets out there.

 

[otto]

Otto, What did MEchele do to Colin's practice?

I'm going completely from memory ... but I think I got this from the Dateline program ... I understand that Mechele kind of went in and started taking things over. I think the office manager was eventually pushed out, and Mechele moved the practice in a different direction. I'd have to watch the program again ... generally speaking, it seemed to me that Mechele was taking control of Colin's career.

 

[flourish]

So, why she's being given more than another year before her retrial is beyond me, but it seems that 2012 date is correct:

http://articles.ktuu.com/keyword/mechele-linehan

The trial of a woman accused of conspiring to kill her former fiance is now set for April of 2012.

Little bit of more information at link.
So, I wonder if Mechele and her supporters will think of this as a good thing, as by the time her new trial rolls around she'll have been out for two years and able to see her family. Or I wonder if they will complain because that means she's stuck in Anchorage away from her family home for that long. Maybe they'll just wait until she's convicted again and then complain that she was refused a timely trial.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous that she's getting almost twice the amount of time to prepare for her second trial as she was given for her first.

However, I remind myself that this also gives the prosecution a lot of time to solidify their case, analyze the first trial to see where they could improve, and ensure that this time her conviction will stick.

I'm sure the next step will be her asking for more freedom and less restrictions on her bail. Heck, by the time her new trial begins, she'll probably have managed to con numerous men in Anchorage, talk the court into letting her go back to Washington, poor Mr. Leppink's health will be that much worse, everyone's memories will be that much more removed from the incident, and so on.

At least Judge Volland will have more experience by then, and perhaps her supporters can stop complaining about how inexperienced he is. :loser:

Regardless, don't worry, Mechele. I certainly won't forget about you and manipulative, conning, murderous ways, and I'm sure a lot of other people won't be forgetting anytime soon, either.

Justice will come for Kent yet.

 

[Nancy2441]

Flourish I'm P!ssed that we have to wait until April of 2012 for this wretched socipath to stand trial for Kent Leppink's murder.

But you are absolutely right there are a lot of people that won't forget what MEchele did even though she and her supporters will be spending this time asking for more freedom and rights and having a big old pity party for poor poor MEchele. UGH! This woman sickens me.

 

[flourish]

Flourish I'm P!ssed that we have to wait until April of 2012 for this wretched socipath to stand trial for Kent Leppink's murder.

But you are absolutely right there are a lot of people that won't forget what MEchele did even though she and her supporters will be spending this time asking for more freedom and rights and having a big old pity party for poor poor MEchele. UGH! This woman sickens me.

Nancy, I completely agree and am highly frustrated and angered by this. Poor Mr. Leppink hasn't been in the best of health, from what I understand, and Mrs. Leppink is elderly, as well. They deserve to see justice served to their son before they die.

And since Megan Holland has apparently left the Anchorage Daily News, the paper has only published one story regarding the case, and haven't even reported when the new trial date is yet. This concerns me, as Holland's articles were and have been the main source of information about this case. I can only hope that KTUU and the Olympia/Sea-Tac new sources will increase their own original coverage of the case as most of the press just repeated Holland's articles.

I just hope Mechele realizes she's on borrowed time and that this isn't going to go away. She best make good use of the ridiculous amount of time provided to her.

 

[flourish]

So, why she's being given more than another year before her retrial is beyond me, but it seems that 2012 date is correct:

http://articles.ktuu.com/keyword/mechele-linehan

Little bit of more information at link.
So, I wonder if Mechele and her supporters will think of this as a good thing, as by the time her new trial rolls around she'll have been out for two years and able to see her family. Or I wonder if they will complain because that means she's stuck in Anchorage away from her family home for that long. Maybe they'll just wait until she's convicted again and then complain that she was refused a timely trial.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous that she's getting almost twice the amount of time to prepare for her second trial as she was given for her first.

However, I remind myself that this also gives the prosecution a lot of time to solidify their case, analyze the first trial to see where they could improve, and ensure that this time her conviction will stick.

I'm sure the next step will be her asking for more freedom and less restrictions on her bail. Heck, by the time her new trial begins, she'll probably have managed to con numerous men in Anchorage, talk the court into letting her go back to Washington, poor Mr. Leppink's health will be that much worse, everyone's memories will be that much more removed from the incident, and so on.

At least Judge Volland will have more experience by then, and perhaps her supporters can stop complaining about how inexperienced he is. :loser:

Regardless, don't worry, Mechele. I certainly won't forget about you and manipulative, conning, murderous ways, and I'm sure a lot of other people won't be forgetting anytime soon, either.

Justice will come for Kent yet.

With most excellent board etiquette, I am quoting my own post :crazy::crazy:

Because I just had a
:waitasec:

:slap:

:guitar:

moment----this year until new trial thing is a GOOD thing!

I'd forgotten about how the lead prosecutor on the first trial is retired now, so there's a new prosecution. So, that's cool, everyone will be well prepared for the second trial.

By the by, I'm still curious about the lack of mention of the new trial date on adn.com. Did this newspaper go out of print and I just don't know? Also, all still quiet on all viewable (by me) Mechele fronts. They're playing a low profile...none of the alluded to information promised by the mechelelinehan.com page.

I also wonder about the financial impact of Mechele staying on the ankle bracelet system until next April...methinks there will be more motions for reduced bail restrictions...will they be granted? The free mechele FB page indicates they asked for, and were denied, a visit for Mechele to Washington for Christmas, so..??

Whatever...I'll keep ya'll updated while we

:sleep:

:waiting:

And with that, I am fftobed:

 

[otto]

Thanks for the updates Flourish ...

Baby-talking Mechele will be 38 years old this year. Arrested at the age of 33, she's lost her thirties even if she has been out on bail since last year. People that she knew in Olympia have moved on, forgotten about her. Her daughter, turning 12 this year, is growing up quickly without her. Even though she isn't in jail, I think she is living dismal life with no future.