Mechele Linehan Wins Murder Appeal, "Letter from Grave" Haunts Prosecutors

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP Photo/Al Grillo)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CBS/AP) Mechele Linehan, the former exotic dancer convicted for killing a romantic interest for a million dollar life insurance policy, will get another chance at freedom. The Alaska Court of Appeals overturned her conviction Friday, leaving the door open for a new trial.

Photo: Michele Linehan in court in 2007 with her attorney.

Linehan's murder trial made national headlines in 2007, in part because prosecutors alleged that Linehan had convinced three men that she was engaged to them at the same time and two of them lived in the same house with her.

One of those men, Kent Leppink, was shot to death 90 miles south of Anchorage, and the other, John Carlin III, was convicted for his murder.

Photo: Kent Leppink and Mechele Linehan.

But prosecutors also convinced an Alaskan jury that Linehan was the mastermind who lured Leppink to his death and pushed Carlin III to do the shooting.

The story was made all the more shocking because it took more than 10 years for investigators to bring anyone to trial at all. Leppink, a fisherman, was killed in 1996. By the time cold case investigators hauled Linehan back to Anchorage, she had left Alaska and exotic dancing behind, married a doctor in Washington State, and had become a PTA mom.

Photo: Mechele Linehan is taken into custody after being found guilty in 2007.

In the appellate court's Friday ruling, the judges said that two key pieces of evidence used in the trial should never have been allowed by the judge.

Love and Death in Alaska - A Crime Of Money, Power, Greed And Sex

The first was a letter, apparently written by Leppink to his parents, that said in the event of his untimely death "Mechele, John or Scott were probably the people or persons that probably killed me. Do me another favor, make sure Mechele goes to jail for a long time."

Normally, a "letter from the grave" would be considered inadmissible hearsay because Linehan's attorneys would not be able to cross examine the person who wrote it. But prosecutor Pat Gullufsen convinced the judge to allow it to show Leppink's state of mind before he died. The appeals court said that was a mistake.

The second piece of evidence that the court ruled inappropriate was the testimony of Lora Aspiotis, a former stripper who worked with Linehan at the time of the murder. She testified that Linehan's favorite movie was "The Last Seduction" where a woman convinces another man to kill her husband for $1 million and gets away with it. Aspiotis testified that Linehan said the female protagonist was her hero and she wanted to be just like her.

The jury never saw the film, but the appeals court felt that discussing it hurt her case unfairly.

Linehan will remain in custody until at least a bail hearing, said Jeff Feldman, one of Linehan's attorneys. And the state will have to decide whether to try her again or petition the Alaska Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision.

John Carlin III was murdered in an Alaskan jail in 2008. He always denied any involvement in Leppink's murder.

48 HOURS | MYSTERY
Love and Death in Alaska - A Crime Of Money, Power, Greed And Sex

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by skudaarkaat May 22, 2011 11:18 PM EDT

That damned c**t is as guilty as sin. That's what is so wrong with our judicial system. Some **** commits a heinous crime and just because she's pretty, she gets an appeal, no matter WHAT she did. I hope her lawyer burns in hell with her, and she goes back to jail to serve every secod of the 99 years the judge gave her.

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by sn1955 January 25, 2012 4:59 PM EST: No, she isn't. Take your vile comments elsewhere. The judge threw out her indictment because of the phony baloney letter and other "evidence" that never should have been admitted to trial. There was no case to pursue, and thank God she is home with her family and probably for good.

by msdtr March 20, 2011 9:41 PM EDT

In all accuracy, Michelle most likely did not squeeze the trigger. (We will most likely never know) We cannot even decide if the gun was the one used in the murder. I do believe she is a person that uses the people around her to gain status and a higher class acknowledgment for personal gain. She most definitely knows how to manipulate and unfortunately, Men are so easily manipulated.

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by kurnia59 May 8, 2011 11:28 PM EDT: What are you talking about? It is a fact that the gun was the one used to shoot poor Ken. I am so disappointed that Michelle got away this time. Hopefully the prosecutor will try her again soon.

by zebbie09 November 23, 2010 1:07 AM EST

So, why did she buy this guy an insurance policy? Explain that to me and then we'll talk. This woman is a criminal and is getting away with murder.

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by msdtr November 23, 2010 9:20 AM EST: Because she's pretty, cries on Que and has money. (Married a physician) Therefore she has the finances to fight this. The everyday person would be in jail. Carlin III son was first hand witness to the two of them cleaning the weapon.


by jayro96 January 27, 2011 1:20 AM EST: Excuse you,'zebbie', You obviously don't know the half of it!

Firstly, it was Leppink's idea for the policy, which they both KNOWINGLY cancelled days before his death, if not sooner that that.

Most importantly, look at Leppink's letter. He clearly admits he wanted to die!! "It was my time" and "don't worry about me", and such. He was just so frustrated with his confused sexuality, sand the fact he couldn't get Mechele to really love him. He orchestrated his own death. it's obvious.

She is my neighbor, and a good person, who, at the time this all went down, still a little girl finding her way through her youth.

You know nothing, 'zebbie'!!

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by msdtr October 24, 2010 8:26 AM EDT

I've watched the 48 hours episode multiple times. I agree that the testimony about the movies should be removed, however the letter from the deceased..... not so sure. The only reason someone would write such a letter, is if they felt their life threatened. I understand that the law states that she should have the chance to confront her accuser. I don't feel it pertains to this situation. Why??? Because it is impossible for Kent to appear in court....Although he is the author of the letter, the State aka "The people," were the actual accuser. Michelle deserves at the very least to be tried again. If she were smart, she should testify. I'm sure a man or two in the jury would feel some sympathy each time she turns her tears on. Although someone changes their future, they are still responsible for those they hurt in the past..while getting there.

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by Turtlepace March 17, 2011 2:11 PM EDT: Kent Leppink wrote in his letter that if Mechele Linehan had married him, he would have destroyed the letter. Therefore, the only reason he wrote the letter was to get even with her for not marrying him. Mr. Leppink did not say why he included the smear that Mrs. Linehan was "probably" the cause of his death. He didn't say that he overheard her conspiring to kill him or found a conspiracy note. He was not an eye witness to his death for another two days. The letter is not a death bed statement since he wasn't dying at the time he wrote it. The letter is not an artifact found at the murder scene. It is just letter from an angry suitor. It was not needed in the trial because there were plenty of other ways to determine his state of mind. Since her critics reinterpret everything she says in terms of the prejudice they have already decided, there is little reason for Mrs. Linehan to testify. Everyone is affected by this vigilante form of justice. Her tears have little to do with it.


by lisab1125 October 9, 2010 9:59 PM EDT: What a ridiculous justice system we have??!!!! Perfect example how to get away with murder. Learn something from her case.Or hire her lawyer if you do the same. How can anyone love that evil creature?????????; Reply to this comment

by lisab1125 October 9, 2010 9:56 PM EDT

ML is nothing but a liar,manipulator and criminal. she should be kept in prison forever. Or even better be executed immediately

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by Turtlepace March 17, 2011 2:15 PM EDT: Even if Mechele Linehan is a liar, a manipulator, and guilty of some form of fraud, is it just to convict of these faults, but punish her for a murder she did not convict? Execution is the ultimate form of sabotage, and sabotage is a vulgar form of competition. There is social resentment involved in her trial that has nothing to do with murder.


by Cybernetic1 September 20, 2010 1:38 AM EDT: But there seems to be a double standard here: what about Charles Manson asking a bunch of chicks to kill people? Should he be set free (assuming that was the only case)?; Reply to this comment


by Cybernetic1 September 20, 2010 1:31 AM EDT: Wait... sorry I have to take back my opinion... I think she is not guilty after all. She could be really joking or testing the guys and Carlin III committed the murder because of his own jealousy / stupidity / possessiveness or whatever.; Reply to this comment


by Cybernetic1 September 20, 2010 1:19 AM EDT: If you joke about murder in a manner serious enough to the point that someone actually carried out the murder, then you should be guilty. Otherwise, Hitler could say he was just joking about exterminating Jews and Bush could say he was just joking about WMDs.; Reply to this comment

by Cybernetic1 September 20, 2010 1:00 AM EDT

The bottom line is whether the law should allow people to trick / deceive / manipulate others to commit crimes. Ideally it shouldn't.

Pulling pranks in general should be OK, but in this case the prank was serious / real enough for Carlin III to actually commit a murder. We have to draw a line somewhere, and this case falls within the line, IMO.

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by Turtlepace March 17, 2011 2:22 PM EDT: The assumption that Mechele Linehan must have conspired with John Carlin to kill Kent Leppink since Kent Leppink is dead depends on a "legal" fact that was never examined. There was not enough time from Mr. Leppink's last email that morning and Mr. Carlin's first email for Mr. Carlin to make the round trip to and from Hope, Alaska. It can only be proved that Mr. Carlin was afraid his gun was the murder weapon when he washed his son's fingerprints off the gun. It cannot be proved that Mr. Carlin was correct in his fear. Now that Mr. Carlin's death has caused the appeals judges to withdraw his conviction, there is no "legal" fact of his conviction to prevent Mrs. Linehan's defense from questioning her co-conspirator's part in the murder.