Mechele Linehan
Encyclopedia
Kent Leppink died by gunshot in 1996. His former fiancée, Mechele Linehan, was convicted of murdering him, but the judgment was reversed on appeal. After originally being sentenced to 99 years in prison, Linehan is currently free on bail awaiting a new trial.
, Alaska, with three .44 caliber bullet gunshot wounds. Linehan was arrested over 10 years later in October 2006 and convicted of his murder, but the verdict was overturned.
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
. Carlin had also been convicted of murder in April 2007. He was found bludgeoned to death in his cell at the Spring Creek Correctional Center
in Seward, Alaska
, on October 27, 2008. His conviction was set aside on December 12, 2008, because he died before he could complete his appeal.
On February 5, 2010, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned Linehan's conviction. 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 in Eagle River. On April 28, 2010, a judge set as a condition of her bail a $250,000 appearance bond. 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.
. An update aired on May 22, 2009.
In 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
.
Also in 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on Investigation Discovery on the series 48 Hours on ID. The episode was named "Love and Death in Alaska".
Linehan's case was also profiled in 2009 as part of the E!
network program, Fatal Beauty: 15 Most Notorious Women.
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. On May 2, 1996, Leppink (age 36) was found dead in HopeHope, Alaska
Hope is a census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census the population was 137.-Geography:Hope is located at...
, Alaska, with three .44 caliber bullet gunshot wounds. Linehan was arrested over 10 years later in October 2006 and convicted of his murder, but the verdict was overturned.
Trial and appeal
At trial, Linehan was accused of conspiring with John Carlin to kill Leppink. The government said that Linehan's motive was that she was the beneficiary of Leppink's $1 million life insurance policy. Leppink changed the beneficiary on the policy a few days before his death.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
Eagle River, Alaska
Eagle River is a community within the Municipality of Anchorage situated on the Eagle River for which it is named, between Fort Richardson and Chugach State Park in the Chugach Mountains. Its ZIP code is 99577...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Carlin had also been convicted of murder in April 2007. He was found bludgeoned to death in his cell at the Spring Creek Correctional Center
Spring Creek Correctional Center
Spring Creek Correctional Center is an Alaska Department of Corrections maximum security prison for men located in Seward, Alaska, United States. The prison is located approximately south of Anchorage. The prison is located on about of land surrounded by national parks. The prison capacity...
in Seward, Alaska
Seward, Alaska
Seward is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,016....
, on October 27, 2008. His conviction was set aside on December 12, 2008, because he died before he could complete his appeal.
On February 5, 2010, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned Linehan's conviction. 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
The Last Seduction
The Last Seduction is a neo-noir 1994 film directed by John Dahl.The movie features Linda Fiorentino as the femme fatale, Peter Berg as a small town man whose one night affair turns into more than he wanted, and Bill Pullman as Fiorentino's husband who is chasing her and running from loan sharks at...
, 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 in Eagle River. On April 28, 2010, a judge set as a condition of her bail a $250,000 appearance bond. 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.
Media reporting
On July 27, 2008, Linehan's case was profiled on Dateline NBCDateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
. An update aired on May 22, 2009.
In 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on the Oxygen Network series Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
.
Also in 2009, Linehan's case was profiled on Investigation Discovery on the series 48 Hours on ID. The episode was named "Love and Death in Alaska".
Linehan's case was also profiled in 2009 as part of the E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
network program, Fatal Beauty: 15 Most Notorious Women.
Publications
- Deadly Angel:The Bizarre True Story of Alaska's Killer Stripper by Fred Rosen, published by HarperCollinsHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, cited via Google books, ISBN 0061733989, released June 2009.
External links
- Love And Death In Alaska. 48 Hours by CBS. Full episode video.
- Michele Linehan appeals murder conviction
- Gunman in Alaska murder plot found dead