Maybe her husband will come to his senses now that she's a free woman. She's been a ball and chain on him since her arrest ... he seems like the kind of guy that would not abandon a damsel in distress. She's no longer in distress, and he needs to break away from her black widow spider clutches before he's cashed in as an accidental death insurance claim. Hopefully there isn't an insurance policy on their daughter either, as I doubt Michele has any boundaries regarding viewing people that love her in terms of their dollar value.
I suppose now would be an ideal time for the Linehan family to move to a non-extraditing country, just in case, but it's been indicated that finances would be a barrier from that. Plus, it would make her look super guilty...I mean, I don't really think the family would actually do that...I'm just saying now would be the ideal time to do it if they were to do that. Hypothetically. And highly unlikely. Just spitting out my thoughts here
Here's hoping this is the light at the end of this very long tunnel!
The state has 30 days in which to re-indict Linehan, the judge said. A status hearing is set for Jan. 17. Moivas said...the state still might pursue another indictment, but he wasn't sure yet what course the prosecution would take.
From:
http://www.adn.com/2011/12/14/2218395/murder-indictment-against-mechele.html#storylink=misearch
So, that along with the Alaska courtview info (fount at http://www.courtrecords.alaska.gov/pa/pa.urd/pamw6500.display) indicates that there was some sort of hearing after or the same day as the dismissal of indictment, re: bail conditions, etc., but no indication as to the results. I'd guess she's still in Alaska while waiting for the status hearing in January. Sounds like that will be the hearing of all hearings...the state will then announce whether or not they intend to seek a re-indictment. I'm guessing they don't have to actually convene the new grand jury until some time after that, yeah? Anyone know?
What a crazy case. They loyalty this woman's supporters show is just....unbelievable.
The Hope Note was not the only example of Mechele Linehan trying to keep Kent Leppink from following her when she would go to see Scott Hilke. When Kent called his mother before looking for Mechele in Hope, Kent told his mother that Mechele was missing AGAIN. It was not the first time. Another time, there was an email from Mechele to her mother talking about a bogus trip to Homer, Alaska. So Hope was not the only place she used to divert Kent.
I first saw this case profiled on 48 Hours and have continued to be somewhat fascinated by the events leading up to the 1996 murder of Kent Leppink, the trial itself, and the resultant convictions of Mechele Linehan and John Carlin in 2008.
If you haven't followed the case and are interested, you can read the transcripts of the 48 Hours and Dateline episodes about the cases here:
The Stripper & The Steel Worker on NBC's Dateline
Love & Death in Alaska on CBS's 48 Hours.
Watch the full 48 Hours broadcast here.
Co-defendant John Carlin was killed in prison this fall and Mechele Linehan is currently appealing her conviction and 99 year sentence. You can read the Statement of Points on Appeal here.
At trial, the prosecution depicted Linehan as a devious and sociopathic stripper who dated three men simultaneously, ultimately duping one paramour (Carlin) into murdering another (Leppink) for insurance money.
The defense disputed this account and revealed that Mechele Linehan is now a model member of society, a PTA mom married to a military doctor. Much of the trial focused on the "two Mecheles," and Linehan's history as an exotic dancer. The defense maintained that the prosecution constructed a false narrative about Mechele and that the "real Mechele" is a dedicated mother and wife who had nothing to do with Leppink's murder.
I'm still fascinated by this case because IMO there wasn't a lot of strong evidence conclusively linking Linehan to the murder. I tend to think too much of the trial focused on Linehan's personality, lifestyle and stereotypes about exotic dancers. After reading everything I could about the case, I tend to think Linehan is guilty. But sometimes I wonder if she was perhaps wrongfully convicted in a trial dominated by sensationalism and stereotyping.
Linehan's husband and friends created a website which maintains her innocence and shares information about Mechele, the trial and the pending appeal. http://freemechele.blogspot.com/
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Have others followed this case? Do you have an opinion about Linehan's guilt? I'm curious to know how other WS'ers see her-- she sits down for a lengthy interview in the 48 Hours episode I linked above.
Do you believe her? Or know any other information about the case and the players?
I've been wondering why this thread isn't more active considering there is a fair amount of internet activity around this case (ie: newspaper discussion boards, etc.)
I see we get frequent visits from guests. Register and come on in and post, folks! Make sure to read the Terms of Service and etiquette rules first, because Websleuths is moderated more heavily and, IMHO, much better than anywhere else on the web. There are rules to follow, so check them out and then join in!
After John Carlin had gone down to Hope with Kent on April 27, 1996, Mechele didn't think that Kent would still believe that she was in Hope. So Mechele sent John an email asking him to tell Kent that she had gone to Barrow, instead. On April 28, 1996, Mechele followed up on the ruse to tell Kent that she had gone to Barrow, with an email to John asking how Kent took to being told that Mechele was the 2 1/2 hours away from Anchorage. Brett Reddell testified that Barrow was a 2 1/2 hour flight away from Anchorage. There is no way Mechele could have been referring to Hope since it is a 1 1/2 car trip from Anchorage.
On April 27, 1996 Mechele also sent an enigmatic email about wanting to meet alone with each of Kent and Kent's father. One thing for sure, Mechele didn't expect Kent to be dead before she got back, but what was the reason she felt she had to meet with each of them separately? The obvious thing was that she had to confront Kent about his obsession for her and make sure his father understood it.
In John Carlin's trial, his lawyer did not try to present evidence that John had not been to the murder scene and could not have committed the murder. There were reports of footprints that couldn't be John's. Did the police deliberately let the murder scene become contaminated so that they would not have to record the footprints that would have exonerated John? He outweighed Kent by 40 pounds and wore a size 9 1/2 EEE to EEEE shoe. There is no way the electrical workers and the first policeman to the murder scene would have overlooked the difference between Kent's footprints and John's if he had been there. These first witnesses to the murder scene did not see any distinction.