Hello All,
There haven't been many postings here because there hasn't been any news to really report. However, we do have some exciting news that happened shortly before Christmas.
The appeal has officially been filed.
Now the prosecution has a minimum of 30 days to reply. (They may ask for an extension.) After that, the defense has 30 days to reply. After that, it goes before the judge. Then he can take some time to decide. I believe it was 3 months to a year??? However, it could be quicker.
Please keep Mechele and her family in your prayers as this crucial part of the process progresses.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
A positive place to share in the journey of bringing Mechele Linehan home.
About This Site
Free Mechele is run by friends and family of Mechele Linehan with occasional input from Mechele's husband, Colin. Mechele was convicted in October 2007 of conspiring to murder Kent Leppink. This conviction was overturned on appeal in February 2010, after she had served over 2 years in prison. Mechele is currently out on bail with heavy restrictions in Alaska, awaiting a second trial. We believe that this trial will prove her innocence, if the prosecution doesn't drop it before then due to lack of evidence.
Please be aware that this site is heavily moderated. Only positive sharing on the journey to true justice will be the focus here.
We have the deepest condolences for the Leppink family, but believe a mistake has been made in finding the person(s) responsible for the death of their son.
Please be aware that this site is heavily moderated. Only positive sharing on the journey to true justice will be the focus here.
We have the deepest condolences for the Leppink family, but believe a mistake has been made in finding the person(s) responsible for the death of their son.
Mechele's NEW site... more trial info
From Colin Linehan
Ways to Help
Sentencing Letters
Prior to Judge Volland's April 2008 sentence of 99 years for Mechele, numerous family, friends, and even strangers wrote letters asking for leniency based on what we know of her. We have been collecting and posting as many of these letters as we can, in order to create a more complete picture of who Mechele truly is, as seen by those closest to her. If you have a letter you'd like us to post, let us know.
Links of Interest
Contributors
12 comments:
I know that lawyers use lots of words. More than I may be able to understand. But when the prosecution rebuts and the defense replies, I hope there will be a translation of what it all means.
Glad to hear the appeal has been officially filed. The waiting and the uncertainity of the outcome must be excruciating for Mechele and her loved ones. I can't imagine daily living in this horrible nightmare. I was wondering if Mechele or her family is concerned for her safety after John Carlin's death in prison. I've read that his first attack came after the reprodcast of 48 mystery. Is the female prison as dangerous? Anyway, I wish Mechele and her family the best with the appeal process.
Thanks everyone. We are hopeful that Mechele is well protected. I don't get the sense her facility is as dangerous as Carlin's. Still, prayers and good thoughts are always appreciated!
Mechele's facility is relatively safe. Certain precautions were taken after John's murder. Thanks to some prompting from the ACLU she has finally received her medications and things have settled down. Yes, this has been an unbelievable nightmare for out family. But, we have been so blessed with the love and support of our family and wonderful friends. Even strangers have stepped up and donated milage, or money to her legal fund. Many have sent her books through Amazon and some have just emailed their kind words and support. This is what makes it bearable to get through it. We just wake up every day and know that justice will prevail and that Mechele will come home to us. Thank you all for your love and support.
Mechele's mom
I'm not sure if my question is on subject, but since Kent Leppink's letter to his parents is part of the appeal, maybe it is. Do we have to accept his lies to respect his family's loss? No matter what Kent did, I don't think anyone wanted him dead, but everytime anyone tries to bring into perspective his unsubstantiated claim that Mechele, John, or Scott were planning to kill him, the charge of disrespecting the dead comes up.
That's an excellent question. Certainly, we want to be respectful of Kent's family and their loss.
I think the best way out of the conundrum is the fact that it seems that it was indeed unconstitutional to admit the letter, since it is impossible to cross-examine the writer of the letter.
Precedent has also been shown with the Giles case, which we mentioned on this blog in August: http://freemechele.blogspot.com/2008/08/giles-case-good-for-mecheles-case.html.
There's something I've wondered about the life insurance policy that Kent Leppink changed. Why didn't he send the revised policy papers to his parents? He was expecting to die in a couple of days. Did he want the police to find the revised policy more than he wanted his parents to collect? A hostile opinion has it that he wanted Mechele to know he had changed the policy to force her come back to him. That's obsessed logic, but wouldn't Kent have shown the policy to John Carlin 3rd, also? John Carlin 3rd was supposedly the only person in Anchorage who knew where Mechele was. So how could the life insurance be a motive for John Carlin 3rd to kill Kent? And if the policy was on Kent's body when discovered, wasn't it just staging for the police to look for Mechele?
Something that I wonder about the life insurance policy is: Why didn't Kent Leppink send the revised insurance papers to his parents? He made a big deal of telling them he had changed the beneficiaries and he's predicting that he would be dead soon, and yet the papers are found on his body. Was he more interested in the police finding the life insurance papers than in his parents collecting the proceeds?
I send my hopes that the appeal is successful and that she is home with her family soon.
Has anyone thought of contacting the University of Chicago legal department for free legal help they have been quit successful in getting many life sentences reversed and those convicted exonerated.
Thanks for the idea, Diana. Most organizations we have looked at won't really touch a case until it's done with the appeal process. So, that seems to be step one and we are all hoping it's the only step. But, if necessary, we will definitely look into other avenues.
Sandy said that Kent Leppink called and cancelled the policy, and that Mechele called to verify it was cancelled and to request a refund. The media reported during the trial that the insurance agent testified that Mechele contacted their office and requested the policy be cancelled. I do no not know exactly which scenario is in the trial transcripts. Can anyone tell me?
Regardless of the actual details, though, If Kent Leppink really cancelled the policy, or if he cancelled it without immediately calling back and withdrawing the cancellation, why did he change the beneficiary and have it on his person when he was killed? Who bothers to do that for a cancelled policy?
Post a Comment