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

New Posts

flourish said:
Thanks!
For some reason I think I've seen one of the last lines quoted as "Learn to dive maybe????" as well as "Learn to live maybe????"

*shrug*

:)
Click to expand...

Sorry you're right...should have been dive. Have edited my post to show correction.
 
Salem said:
Respectfully snipped ~

Hi darnudes - you are supposed to provide links for your information. However, when the link comes up as asteriks, it means for any number of reasons it is not allowed here and we do not send our posters to that site.

Hope that helps,

Salem
Click to expand...

Thanks Salem, no probs.
 
I'm going to quote/trascribe this email, labeled, "Toshiba/Zip Disk1/C/AOL25A/ORGANIZE/AKMEWELL," and found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25877731/. It is part of a bigger article on msnbc, entitled "The Stripper and the Steel Worker," which "originally aired on Dateline NBC," and can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25876168...rime_reports//.

The only changes I have made to the email is to hit "return" twice after each sentence or phrase (sometimes defined by Mechele's punctuation, other times by me, you can tell the difference by the presence or lack of punctuation, as I am not adding my own punctuation, just spacing). Additionally, I have not changed the spelling or grammar). I apologize in advance for any transcription errors on my part, if there are any.


[lots of weird random characters/code or something] 03/31/96 [more code] you and me [more code]

hello

you got it you want a response and here is one

what to say

i want you to know that the time we are spending apart is healthy although it may hurt a bit

it will make everything stronger

i am not trying to procrastinate our wedding i am just conserned that everything will be rushed and it worries me because i will only have one and you know i want it to be perfect and well like you

you are so wonderful to me

you have given me a love that no one else could ever do

you give me a unbinding love that is truly from your heart and everyone can see it

many saw it way before i really knew i knew you cared but i didnt know how much

i didnt know it had no boundries and i hope i can make you a happy husband i will try my hardest to keep our family strong lovin
Click to expand...
More to come
 
Melissa Hughes (Sister of Linehan) Testifies at John Carlin trial

Hughes was called as a prosecution witness at Carlin's trial. She testified that Linehan asked her shortly after Leppink's death to wipe clean a laptop computer she shared with him.

She also told jurors that her sister said "it was too bad someone didn't torture him first."

http://www.adn.com/2007/03/24/117435/stripper-asked-sister-to-wipe.html
 
I'm going to quote/trascribe this email, which appears to be part of a bigger email and is unlabeled and undated, and can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25877695/. It is part of a bigger article on msnbc, entitled "The Stripper and the Steel Worker," which "originally aired on Dateline NBC," and can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25876168...rime_reports//.

The only changes I have made to the email is to hit "return" twice after each sentence or phrase (sometimes defined by John Carlin III's punctuation, other times by me, you can tell the difference by the presence or lack of punctuation, as I am not adding my own punctuation, just spacing). Additionally, I have not changed the spelling or grammar. I apologize in advance for any transcription errors on my part, if there are any.


could .... i have thought i could before and now well look by giving you what i could i have only hurt you because you wont take it anymore."

Again, we are alike.

You are not less of a person for this, just a human being with needs.

You will when you find the happiness and needs you are looking for.

You are beautiful and wonderful.

I love you very much.

You are everything to me and you will always be.

I really appreciate you giving me what you could.

I am sorry that I feel it is not enough.

I can not support you while you live with Scott.

It is not that I do not want to.

I just can not afford to support you while you do this.

I can not financially afford to put thousands of dollars into Scotts home, pay for your tickets to go see him and give you spending money to have fun with him while you are there.

I don't have the money to do that.

I wish that I did.

Things would probally be different if I had the money.

I would keep you happy by traveling all over having fun with you and you would forget Scott.

I just don't have the money.

I am sorry for that.

Please forgive me.
Click to expand...

More to come
 
Thanks to flourish and darnudes for transcribing the emails!

I finally found some of the old emails I knew I had saved somewhere. Linehan tended to use the email identity akmewell (an anagram for "make me well" perhaps?) and Leppink's email identity was TangoPI.

Here is an email in which Mechele is asking Kent for money and appears to be trying to get his bank routing numbers or something.

Here is an email in which Leppink apologizes to Mechele for not having enough money (or as much money as he may have tried to make her believe he had). The tone and content of this email also shows that Leppink very much believed he and Linehan were really going to be married-- that they were in love and that they would start a family, IMO. I can't square this email with the whole "gay sham marriage" narrative spun by the defense.


Here is an email Leppink sent to Carlin, explaining his feelings for Mechele and his desire to marry Mechele.

(If you open the image by clicking the link, you can click on the image to zoom in to make the print more legible.)
 
flourish said:
I'm going to quote/trascribe this email, which appears to be part of a bigger email and is unlabeled and undated, and can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25877695/. It is part of a bigger article on msnbc, entitled "The Stripper and the Steel Worker," which "originally aired on Dateline NBC," and can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25876168...rime_reports//.

The only changes I have made to the email is to hit "return" twice after each sentence or phrase (sometimes defined by John Carlin III's punctuation, other times by me, you can tell the difference by the presence or lack of punctuation, as I am not adding my own punctuation, just spacing). Additionally, I have not changed the spelling or grammar. I apologize in advance for any transcription errors on my part, if there are any.




More to come
Click to expand...

Here is the top portion of the email you transcribed. My version cuts off the end, but shows the opening paragraphs. I'm not as awesome as you are-- so I'm not transcribing it, but I thought people might like to have a look :)
 
darnudes said:
Sorry about that, didn't know we couldn't link there. I do try and link where I am getting information from but I realise it is an opinion site. Does anyone know why we can't link to there?

Seychelles Letter transcribed

From Linehan to Carlin

“I have to say I am wondering what did he say when you said I was 2 1/2 hours away and he would have to come get me. Is he reading our mail? Did he leave with his pop? So they spent the night there, call me I have been up for about 2 hours. I am wide awake and my throat hurts still. It will go away soon. The mornings are always hard on me. I love you very much I miss you and I can’t wait to go on our getaway. Did you know that you could buy citisenship in the Saycheles for around 10 mill and no matter what crimes you have committed they will not extri. They are the only country that won’t send you back to the U.S. I found that out yesterday. I think I am going to walk to the library. It is down the road about 30 min and be back in 1 hour. I am not calling the house. I hope you like these long letters they are not easy. Have you given any thought to where you want to go?….Learn to dive maybe????..Cancun..Cabo…Anywhere
Love you”……………

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25877646/
Click to expand...

Thanks for transcribing this! Also,
Here is an email Linehan sent Carlin the evening before the Seychelle's email was sent.
It's hard to understand what Linehan is talking about, but she says it would be a "good idea" to tell Leppink she wants to "meet him alone, maybe tomorrow night" and then says "oh that is if I can get that flight out tomorrow."
To me, this fills in some gaps between the Seychelles email and the Hope note and lends credence to the idea Mechele was complicit in luring Leppink to his demise. Why else would she try to get Leppink to meet with her alone when she really planned to be on a flight elsewhere??

(Note: All these emails I'm posting were at one point posted online to append various articles about Linehan's case. I saved them to my hard drive for reference, as I knew the articles were likely to be modified, archived or deleted. The emails to which I've linked were exhibits in either Carlin or Linehan's trials and most still show the official page numbers. These are public documents.)
 
Also, Mechele's mother briefly posted in the forums at PrisonTalk. Rolena alleged that Mechele received inadequate medical care in prison and Mechele's mother discusses this briefly and also alleges that Mechele was drugged against her will prior to sentencing.

"My daughter is in South Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle Mountain Alaska. SHe has a harrington rod in her spine from surgery as a child. She has also been on antidepressendants. They refuse to give her even an aspirin and have requested her medical records and xrays. They seem to keep "losing" these. Her husband is a doctor and has given to them several times. They also gave her a drug without her consent before transporting her for sentencing. I think the drug was thoraxine (?)* I believe there was a lawsuit which resulted in that being illegal. Can anyone help?"

Source: medcial attention and med - Prison Talk

[video=youtube;gTRjLHJO338]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTRjLHJO338[/video]
Here is the video of Mechele speaking at sentencing.

*I think Mechele's mother may be referring to Thorazine.
 
darnudes said:
Now very interesting listening to John Carlin's interviews

Carlin talks about why he says he's innocent. First tape.

He says -you got the right plan but the wrong man. I ain't there

I've wondered before if this could be the case as he said Mechele ends up with the insurance money and Scott and what does John get? - No Mechele.

We know that Scott failed his poly but the police didn't seem overly concerned with that and add to this that the one and only person Mechele sees when she moves on to her new life is Scott, who she had an affair with when her poor husband is serving his country in Iraq.

Only problem with this is the gun evidence but I'm wondering if Mechele put the gun back after the murders and John was scared that his son had touched it so he cleaned it. This does make sense to me as it could be reasonable behaviour. What father wouldn't want to protect their child.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2007/10/19/117335_man-convicted-of-killing-leppink.html#ixzz0nIO91Ofc
Click to expand...

I think the you got the right plan but the wrong man. I ain't there quote was really interesting too!
I've also wondered if Carlin III washed the gun simply because he assumed it had been used in the murder, even if he himself didn't participate. It's very strange.

Also, I do remember reading in the ADN coverage that Mechele did have further interaction with both Carlins after she left Alaska. She left Alaska weeks after the murder and took Carlin IV with her. Carlin III met up with them later. And Carlin IV came and stayed with Mechele in Washington (2005) while her husband was deployed in Iraq.
Source: http://www.adn.com/2007/10/02/117382/carlin-iv-testifies-linehan-saw.html
 
These emails are so revealing of the sick dynamics that existed between the parties: Leppink's hopeless infatuation with Mechele and her willingness to use it with such coldness (i.e. her demand for money).

I've been fascinated by the story because I believe she was complicit in his murder, but the legal 'clincher' seems to be missing. The details between his first visit to Hope and his murder days later are murky. I hope the prosecution can sort this out in the retrial.

Incidentally, this article:

http://www.adn.com/2009/04/11/756965/officials-didnt-protect-carlin.html

presents some reasons why Carlin was killed in prison. One of the attackers claimed he was a 'racist bully', a 'snitch' and a 'rat'. It has occasionally been suggested that there was some conspiracy to silence Carlin, but it may have been nothing more than prison 'dynamics'. I recall reading elsewhere that Carlin's troubles started when he arbitrarily changed the channel when a group of inmates were watching TV.

Carlin, like Leppink, struck me as a man who was extremely inept in managing his life and probably had the same difficulties in navigating prison life.
 
Welcome to Websleuths Marilhicks...

and thank you Nancy for the emails....they certainly are telling.

I fail to see how anyone can give Mechele any type of support after reading how this woman conversed back and forth with these men, all the while manipulating them in every possible way. The emails are telling in that they show her true nature as she continues to take advantage of anyone who comes within her path.

I truly am still amazed that her husband continues to support her.... after hearing her phoney reaction to Kent's death....and to ever utter that he should have been tortured first?? After reading these emails where she basically is extorting money from these men for her own greed?? How does this man not see her true character?? I just don't get it.

I still stand by my original perception of this woman's character, and to me she is nothing more than a manipulative ***** who clearly expected to monetarily gain from Kent's death. Oh how I wish I could have seen the look on her face when she learned that Kent had taken her name off as the life insurance beneficiary!

P.S. I also wonder to this day about Hilke, if he was just given a cursory "glance", cleared by LE, and then the prosecution latched onto Carlin as the shooter. He was the more obvious choice but it still seems like Hilke should have been looked at much more carefully. It seems that nobody involved in this love triangle is above suspicion.
 
Thank you for the welcome.

I was so impressed by Nancy's knowledge of the case. Aside from the documentaries, hard facts surrounding the case are hard to come by. I ordered the book by Fred Rosen, Deadly Angel, (hasn't arrived yet) hoping it might provide copies of the emails. I may be disappointed though - I have since read very negative reviews about the book.

I am also surprised by her husband's continued support, especially given testimony of her affairs during their marriage. But she seems to attach herself to men of a certain type - men who are willing to be used as doormats.
 
marilhicks said:
Thank you for the welcome.

I was so impressed by Nancy's knowledge of the case. Aside from the documentaries, hard facts surrounding the case are hard to come by. I ordered the book by Fred Rosen, Deadly Angel, (hasn't arrived yet) hoping it might provide copies of the emails. I may be disappointed though - I have since read very negative reviews about the book.

I am also surprised by her husband's continued support, especially given testimony of her affairs during their marriage. But she seems to attach herself to men of a certain type - men who are willing to be used as doormats.
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome:)
Just a quickie as I'm at work on a break:

Out of boredom and lack of availability of other sources of information and/or entertainment, I downloaded the book on my amazon kindle this past weekend. The "author" cannot write well at all and I am surprised that he has several books published.

[Incidentally, after downloading this book, I saw the cover of on of his other books and realized that I had picked one up at a thrift store last year and couldn't make it through the first chapter.]

However, the book does offer some emails which I hadn't seen before. Because the author doesn't include footnotes or clear citation, it's difficult to tell where he got his information. I hesitate to post anything about the other emails until I have more information about them and their validity, etc.

Interesting note: The amazon reviews for the book are anything but stellar...however, the overall score is skewed due to the author writing a review of his own book and giving it 5 stars. Seriously. Oh, and the review wasn't all that well-written, either! :loser:
 
Well, as they say, anyone can write a book. Doesn't mean it's a good book.....
 
marilhicks said:
Thank you for the welcome.

I was so impressed by Nancy's knowledge of the case. Aside from the documentaries, hard facts surrounding the case are hard to come by. I ordered the book by Fred Rosen, Deadly Angel, (hasn't arrived yet) hoping it might provide copies of the emails. I may be disappointed though - I have since read very negative reviews about the book.

I am also surprised by her husband's continued support, especially given testimony of her affairs during their marriage. But she seems to attach herself to men of a certain type - men who are willing to be used as doormats.
Click to expand...

Welcome to WS!!

I read the Fred Rosen book too. And, like Flourish, I found it very disappointing. I was SO excited I even downloaded it the day it was released :loser: haha. I'm bitter that Rosen burned a great case for other true crime writers out there to have taken up. grrr.

I can understand how you and Blondie in Spokane are perplexed by Dr. Linehan's support. That said, I'm going to go out on a perhaps awkward limb and say I think the man is a prince. I'm pretty convinced of Linehan's guilt, but there ARE major holes in the evidence and I can easily see how Mechele could have presented a sympathetic and believable story to make those around her believe in her innocence. I can't fault her husband for wanting to believe in his wife and the mother of his child. I think he believes she's 100% innocent (of murder) and accepts she was once guilty of being a less kindhearted and wholesome woman than the woman he sees her as today. He's written a few posts on the Free Mechele site.
 
Blondie in Spokane said:
Welcome to Websleuths Marilhicks...

and thank you Nancy for the emails....they certainly are telling.

I fail to see how anyone can give Mechele any type of support after reading how this woman conversed back and forth with these men, all the while manipulating them in every possible way. The emails are telling in that they show her true nature as she continues to take advantage of anyone who comes within her path.

I truly am still amazed that her husband continues to support her.... after hearing her phoney reaction to Kent's death....and to ever utter that he should have been tortured first?? After reading these emails where she basically is extorting money from these men for her own greed?? How does this man not see her true character?? I just don't get it.

I still stand by my original perception of this woman's character, and to me she is nothing more than a manipulative ***** who clearly expected to monetarily gain from Kent's death. Oh how I wish I could have seen the look on her face when she learned that Kent had taken her name off as the life insurance beneficiary!

P.S. I also wonder to this day about Hilke, if he was just given a cursory "glance", cleared by LE, and then the prosecution latched onto Carlin as the shooter. He was the more obvious choice but it still seems like Hilke should have been looked at much more carefully. It seems that nobody involved in this love triangle is above suspicion.
Click to expand...

I'm also curious about the Hilke connection. I wish there was more information about there about him!

And I am also fascinated by the stark contrast between the "two Mecheles."
I could understand if her supporters would acknowledge that she was once a pretty terrible person who manipulated others for her own gain, etc. but had since reformed and transformed. I think whitewashing her past makes the entire defense less credible.

Early in the case, the ADN published some interesting articles about Mechele's past. Interestingly, while rolena and other Mechele supporters constantly insist that Mechele stripped for a very brief period of time in Alaska, she actually stole her sister's ID when she ran away to NJ as a teen (where she worked as an exotic dancer, according to the prosecution) and she also worked as an exotic dancer when she returned to New Orleans after Leppink's murder. (She allegedly danced in at least two clubs on Bourbon Street and quit before marrying Dr. Linehan). (sources below)

The ADN companionate piece on Mechele's past:
ADN: Femme Fatale or PTA Mom?
ADN: Murder Suspect Became Cookie-baking Volunteer.
 
you know i have wondered before if any studies have been done on effects of people's voices. i have seen so many times people with her voice tone have people attracted to them and wondered why. sorry that was a random thought.

my opinion though, she is sooooo guitly! i mean and her favorite video????in the interveiw, the 2 hr one, i seriously thought the interviewer was going to have to quit. i mean you could tell she wanted to smack her. just like me!

"i feel like im being attacked"
_sickscream__by_MenInASuitcase.gif
_crazy__by_Dumnezeu.gif
Luke_Puke_by_CRWPitman.gif
 
flourish said:
Hello and welcome:)

Interesting note: The amazon reviews for the book are anything but stellar...however, the overall score is skewed due to the author writing a review of his own book and giving it 5 stars. Seriously. Oh, and the review wasn't all that well-written, either! :loser:
Click to expand...

I saw that - what a hoot. I wish I could have graded my term papers or done my own job performance assessments.
I ordered my copy from abebooks.com - they have the book for a dollar used, and a couple of dollars new.
 
nancy botwin said:
Welcome to WS!!

I read the Fred Rosen book too. And, like Flourish, I found it very disappointing. I was SO excited I even downloaded it the day it was released :loser: haha. I'm bitter that Rosen burned a great case for other true crime writers out there to have taken up. grrr.

I can understand how you and Blondie in Spokane are perplexed by Dr. Linehan's support. That said, I'm going to go out on a perhaps awkward limb and say I think the man is a prince. I'm pretty convinced of Linehan's guilt, but there ARE major holes in the evidence and I can easily see how Mechele could have presented a sympathetic and believable story to make those around her believe in her innocence. I can't fault her husband for wanting to believe in his wife and the mother of his child. I think he believes she's 100% innocent (of murder) and accepts she was once guilty of being a less kindhearted and wholesome woman than the woman he sees her as today. He's written a few posts on the Free Mechele site.
Click to expand...

He’s not only a prince, but a saint to be able to proclaim how wonderful she is in spite of her infidelities with a former lover (bringing her daughter along) and with a family friend. I see him as a one of her victims - bankrupted, a million in debt and cuckolded to boot. I also think he honestly believes she is innocent of the murder.

Thanks for the links. Here’s one I found interesting.

http://s2.excoboard.com/exco/archive.php?ac=t&forumid=124593&date=05-16-2009&t=1703625-1

Highlights of the trial are presented (news reports) along with a transcript of the CBS documentary.

There’s not much new for those familiar with the case but there is a nugget here and there. For instance, the prosecutors wanted to put an unnamed woman on the stand who claimed to have seen Mechele and Carlin steal money from Leppink’s wallet while he was in the shower!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 206 more.
Total: 4,012 (members: 207, guests: 3,805)

Online statistics

Members online
207
Guests online
3,805
Total visitors
4,012
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,827
Messages
17,959,694
Members
228,620
Latest member
MaryEllen77
Back
Top