Accused killer ordered to trial James Koepp Janesville, WI [CONVICTED]

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2008/04/16/news/news03.txt

Accused killer ordered to trial
Posted: Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 - 11:46:57 am CDT
By Krista Ledbetter
Daily News staff writer

JANESVILLE - The man charged with stabbing and strangling a woman and her two teenage children to death last January will stand trial for the crimes.

Bond for James C. Koepp, 49, will continue to be $750,000 for the January 2007 murder of Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her two children , Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14.

Court Commissioner Steve Meyer ruled Tuesday that Koepp probably committed a felony in connection with the killings of Lentz and her children. Koepp remains in custody at Columbia Correctional Institution, where he is serving a sentence for felony fleeing after he led Rock County Sheriff's deputies on a chase after missing an interview with police about the murder.

At an arraignment scheduled for 3:30 p.m. May 14, Koepp is expected to enter pleas of not guilty.


Russell Lucht found his daughter, Danyetta, and his grandchildren murdered in their mobile home south of Janesville on the morning of Jan. 12, 2007. The Rock County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene in Jacobs Mobile Home Park, 3315 South U.S. Highway 51, shortly after Lucht called the police.

Koepp lived in a neighboring trailer.

When sheriff's deputy Ronald Schmidt arrived at the Lentz trailer shortly after 9:30 a.m., he found the bodies of Danyetta, Nicole and Scott inside.

According to the criminal complaint, Nicole's body was discovered just inside the door, next to a steak knife with a bent blade. She had been stabbed four times in the back and strangled.

Her brother was lying next to her, a large knife embedded in his chest. He had been stabbed six times and strangled.

In a hall leading to the rear of the trailer was Danyetta Lentz, partially clothed. She had been strangled and stabbed 23 times. Fifteen wounds came after she was already dead, the complaint said.

Schmidt testified for the prosecution Tuesday, as did forensic pathologist Michael Stier, who performed the autopsies on the bodies.

Stier described the conditions of the body, and said both Danyetta and Scott had been stabbed several times after they were already dead, and both Danyetta and Nicole had defense wounds, likely from attempting to fight off their attacker.

District Attorney David O'Leary and his deputy Perry Folts entered reports from the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory as key evidence Tuesday.

The lab reported that stains found on clothing obtained by a Rock County detective days after the murder were blood and contained DNA that matched Danyetta's.

Detective Richard Kamholz testified Tuesday that Koepp willingly gave him the clothing during an interview.

According to the lab report, another blood stain found on a denim shirt belonging to Koepp contained a mix of DNA from four people, and it was consistent with the DNA of Koepp and the Lentzes.

Koepp will reappear in court on May 14 via video conference from Columbia Correctional Institute.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0107/1502_lentz_murderes.html

Relative Finds the Bodies of Danyetta Lentz and Her Two Children
By David Lohr
January 15, 2007

JANESVILLE, Wis. (Crime Library) — :"Hi my name is nicole. i like to go skateboarding with my friends, i like to swim, and i like to listen to music. i also love to meet new people so if you are ever looking to talk to someone or just hang out add me ." This is how 17-year-old Nicole Lentz described herself in her MySpace profile.

Nicole Lentz (victim)

Nicole lived in Lot 37 of the Jacobs Mobile Home Park with her mom, Danyetta, 38, and her brother, Scott, 14. Danyetta was a pre-school teacher at Community Kids Janesville Learning Center, and Nicole and Scott were students at Janesville Parker High School. According to police reports, Danyetta was divorced from the children's father, who resides in Texas.

Scott Lentz (victim)

Danyetta was a timely and reliable employee, so when she failed to show up for work this past Friday, her coworkers became concerned. Repeated calls went unanswered, so at 8:30 a.m., a friend who was also a coworker drove over to Danyetta's mobile home to check on her. The family car was parked in the driveway, and there was no answer at the door. Sensing something was wrong, Danyetta's friend decided to call a family member.

Danyetta Lentz (victim)

Danyetta's father, Russ Lucht, received the call around 9:00 a.m. and rushed over to his daughter's mobile home where, he discovered the bodies of his daughter and both of his grandchildren.

Within thirty minutes, the Rock County Sheriff's Department had the area surrounding the crime scene guarded.. The fire department was on scene to assist, and agents from the state crime laboratory were busy collecting evidence. (more at link)

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.crimelibrary.com/news/original/0107/3001_lentz_murderes.html

Court Records Indicate James Koepp and Danyetta Lentz May Have Been Having an Affair

By David Lohr

January 30, 2007

JANESVILLE, Wis. (Crime Library) — According to an affidavit filed by the Rock County Sheriff's Department, Danyetta Lentz and James C. Koepp had a personal relationship and possibly an affair.
The affidavit states that on Jan. 16, Koepp was supposed to come to the sheriff's department for a voluntary interview, but he never showed. Several hours later, Koepp phoned one of the deputies. He was very distraught during the conversation and appeared to be intoxicated.

"I didn't do it. If I come forward, I'm going to lose my wife. I know you're going to arrest me... I'm going to hang up before you trace this call..."

He then hung up, waited a few minutes and called back. (more at link)

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=17406604

Danyetta Germaine "Danni" Lucht Lentz
Birth: Nov. 18, 1968
Madison
Dane County
Wisconsin, USA
Death: Jan. 12, 2007
Janesville
Rock County
Wisconsin, USA

Danni was the daughter of Russell J. and Lois M. (Gillis) Lucht. She attended elementary school in Footville, Wisconsin, graduated from Parkview High School in Orfordville, Wisconsin, and studied culinary arts at the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. On August 12, 1989, she married Thomas Lee Lentz and they had two children: Nicole and Scott before they seperated on August 22, 1991. She earned a certificate in daycare teaching from Blackhawk Technical College in Rock County Wisconsin and had worked the last 10 years at Community Kids Learning Center as a teacher, were she was well loved and respected. Danni was a kid at heart. She loved dancing with the children at the learning center, getting down on the floor to play with them and going outside in the snow to play with them. She also worked as a cook on the weekends at The Wonder Inn Cafe in Janesville. She worked very hard as a single mother raising two children. (much more at link)

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.channel3000.com/news/10733217/detail.html

Woman, Two Children Found Dead In Mobile Home Near Janesville
Wisconsin Crime Lab Called To Scene

UPDATED: 9:26 am CST January 13, 2007

ROCK TOWNSHIP, Wis. -- A woman and her two teenage children were found dead in a mobile home just outside Janesville Friday morning.

Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden said a family member discovered the bodies of Danyetta Lentz (pictured right), 38, and her children, Nicole Lentz, 17, and Scott Lentz, 14, and called police at about 9:30 a.m.

Authorities responded Friday morning to the Jacob's Mobile Home Park, located on Highway 51 between Janesville and Beloit.

He said investigators are still trying to determine how the three died, but all three are believed to be homicide victims.

The sheriff said that those who arrived at the scene could see the death was "obviously suspicious."

"This is a very tragic event, not only for this park but for our community, and I want to assure all the residents and member of our community in Rock County that the sheriff's department will find the person or persons who are responsible for this. We will bring them to justice," Spoden said.

The sheriff said that he had called Wisconsin Crime Lab experts to the scene and five technicians from the lab along with Rock County detectives were continuing to process the scene on Friday afternoon, WISC-TV reported.

Spoden said the Rock County coroner is expecting autopsies to be performed this weekend.

Spoden said detectives are focusing on learning each victim's background.

Neighbor Angela Puckett said that she was best friends with Lentz. Puckett described her as a single mother focused on raising her two teenage children.

Puckett said that the woman's ex-husband lives in Texas. She said she didn't think her friend or her children had any problems.

"This is why this is a shock to all of us," Puckett said.

On Friday afternoon, investigators interviewed workers at Community Action Daycare, where Lentz had worked.

Community Action is an antipoverty organization that runs a number of programs in Rock and Walworth counties. Executive director Lisa Furseth described Lentz as a "tender but firm teacher" who worked with young children.

Meanwhile, detectives canvassed the neighborhood Friday to reassure neighbors. Some neighbors gathered near the scene Friday and some were crying. There are about 30 mobile homes in the park.

Some neighbors gathered near the scene and some were crying. There are about 30 mobile homes in the park.

"It's scary because what if it's not somebody they knew? What if it's just some random thing or it's somebody in the trailer court or something?" said Linda Mitchell, a neighbor who made the 911 call from her home.

"I'm scared. I have kids, I have a little girl and we live here," said Kathy Van Zandt, a neighbor.

Neighbors said they are still in disbelief at how the likable family is now gone.

"This is just my worst nightmare because this is something you would never expect at Jacob's Homes trailer park. And they were the nicest people, the nicest people that you could ever meet," Puckett said.

The sheriff said that they were throwing all the resources they have at this case, and a strong police presence shows that they are committed to the investigation, WISC-TV reported.

Both the sheriff's department and the state Crime Lab will remain at the scene throughout the night, WISC-TV reported.

The sheriff's department said it does not yet have any suspects in the apparent homicide.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.channel3000.com/news/10740057/detail.html

Examiners Cite 'Complex Homicidal Violence' In Triple Slaying
Detectives Create Tip Line

UPDATED: 1:38 pm CST January 15, 2007

JANESVILLE, Wis. -- Autopsies performed at the VA Hospital in Madison Saturday showed what examiners called "complex homicidal violence." Detectives set up tip line to help with investigation.

Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her two children Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14, were found Friday morning slain inside their Jacobs mobile home in Rock Township.

A family member found the bodies after the Danyetta Lentz failed to show up at her day-care job, and her two teenagers didn't make it to Janesville Parker High School.

Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden called it a "horrendous crime" but hasn't released any details on how the victims died. The sheriff's department Saturday performed a second search of the crime scene.

Lt. Bill Harper with the sheriff's department told that it was standard procedure for authorities to stay at the crime scene until the autopsies have been complete, WISC-TV reported.

The Wisconsin Crime Lab Saturday wrapped up its investigation at about 3 a.m.

While there were more family and friends of the victims left to interview, police said they had contacted the victim's estranged father who resides in Texas.

"He is distraught over the loss of his children," Harper said. "He has been cooperative with us, and we have spoken to him, and we may speak to him again. Obviously, we will be back in touch with him, and we will keep him informed of what is going on."

Lois Gillis, the mother and grandmother of the victims, was asking many questions but getting few answers.

Her ex-husband, Russ, found their daughter and grandchildren.

"He was crying, and he called me," Gillis said. "He couldn't tell me what was wrong because he was crying, and I got there and I knew something had happened. But this -- this is not was I expected to happen."

Gillis said the entire experience was unreal.

"I'm just standing there like, 'This happens on TV, this doesn't happen to real people,'" Gillis said. "It happens on TV, and they get up, and they go home after the show is over."

Russ Lucht was still too emotional to talk to News 3, but said he just wanted to know why.

Danyetta's younger sister, Kim Lucht, was also in disbelief.

"I don't know who would ever hurt her like this because she was such a sweet lady," said Kim Lucht.

Dannyetta Lentz' family said they will remember her for her sunny disposition and positive attitude.

Kim Lucht said she often made the commute from her Beloit home to visit her sister and cousins on weekends.


"Scottie, would sit down and play rummy with us," said Lucht. "Any game, anything to do with the family he liked."

Last weekend was the last time Lucht and Gillis said they saw Danyetta and the kids.

It was Nikki's 17th birthday Friday, Jan. 5, and Gillis said she stopped by the mobile home to deliver her birthday card in person.

"She was really happy about that. She said, 'Grandma, you finally got it to me on time,'" said Gillis, who admitted she didn't always get a card to Nikki on her actual birthday.

While the family tries to make sense of what they call a 'senseless crime', they said they have no doubt that Dannyetta stayed a devoted mother to the bitter end.

Neighbors said they're devastated by the deaths. They gathered near the mobile home Friday as news spread.

Students To Be Offered Counseling Following Deaths

School officials said they will be making counselors available to students starting Monday following the deaths of a mother and her two teenage children this week in Janesville.

Both Scott Lentz and Nicole Lentz were students at Parker High School.

Principal Dale Carlson said school authorities couldn't tell students before school let out Friday about the deaths because they hadn't been confirmed.

But Carlson said officials spent the day planning for when they do tell the students.

He said school staff met briefly after school Friday and will meet again Monday before school to review how they will talk about the deaths with students.

Carlson said an announcement will be made Monday morning at school, and a letter will go home with students.

The Lucht family is still making funeral arrangements, which they expect to have at the end of next week.

Examiners City ‘Complex Homicidal Violence’ In Triple Slaying

Rock County investigators held back exactly how a mother and her two teenage children died Friday in order to protect their search for a killer, but released some information Sunday.

The autopsies show the three died from "complex homicidal violence," according to Rock County Coroner Jenifer Keach. But in a statement, Sheriff Robert Spoden wouldn't release more details.

"Further details related to how the victims died will not be released, because release of that information could jeopardize this investigation," said Spoden.

Another search of the mobile home and the surrounding area was conducted Sunday.

Spoden also made a public plea for more information. A tip line was offered so investigators can gather more leads.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/5200837.html

Memorial Fund Set Up After Triple Murder in Janesville Save Email Print

Reporter: Dana Brueck
Email Address: dbrueck@nbc15.com

Janesville Family Memorial Fund

"I am in complete darkness, complete darkness on this," Russ Lucht says.

The Rock County man who discovered the bodies of his murdered daughter and grandchildren says he wants answers

A neighborhood is fearful. A school community -- saddened -- by the murder of two students and their mother. Family discovered the three bodies at a home near Janesville Friday morning.

The sheriff says investigators conducted additional searches of the trailer park, the home and nearby roadways.

The father of Danyetta Lentz says he's letting investigators do their job. He wants to hear from them when they have answers.

"Their mother took them to a lot of movies ... They kind of enjoyed that," Russ Lucht says.

Lucht says his grandchildren 17-year-old Nicole and 14-year-old Scott also enjoyed helping out around his home -- for a price.

"They would even come over ... pick up acorns 'cause grandpa ... give them $5 a bucket ... would keep'em going."

Lucht keeps going, days after discovering the bodies of his daughter, Danyetta and her children, by keeping busy.

"It's rough. I have my bouts and that stuff," he says.

Patrol cars continue to sit outside of Danyetta Lentz's home near Janesville, giving neighbors slight comfort.

"I'm scared because I don't know if this was random, planned, or what, I don't know," Gerrie Sawyer says.

Sawyer lives two doors down from the crime scene.

"I make sure doors are locked. I check my windows," she says.

Sawyer also says some neighbors want to move.

"The other night, I just lost it, told my friend put boards on my doors 'cause I've been scared," neighbor Angie Puckett says.

Puckett befriended the Lentz's ... enjoying laughs with Nicole and Scott's first catch this past summer.

"I just keep thinking ... Danyetta, give me a sign... who, why."

Puckett says Danyetta had no boyfriend. She worked at a nearby daycare while her children attended Parker High School, where Nicole was active in the choir and Scott was a freshman.

A crisis team is in place at Parker to help students cope.

"It's certainly a devastating blow to family at Parker," assistant principal Dan Keyser says, "we get through step by step."

While Lucht and his family take steps toward justice.

"One of them I told, think it was deputy coroner, I want it done just like they do on CSI Vegas, top to bottom back and forth ... they'll do their job," Lucht says.

The sheriff's office continues to seek tips. It has a tip line set up at 608-758-8477.

Lucht expect the funerals to take place on Friday. The family's also set up a memorial fund at Blackhawk Community Credit Union in Janesville.

The address is:
Blackhawk Community Credit Union
Lentz Memorial Fund
2640 W. Court St.
Janesville, WI 53548

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=552341

Family found slain near Janesville
Man finds bodies of daughter, grandchildren in their home
By MARIE ROHDE
mrohde@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 12, 2007
A father checking on his daughter and two teenage grandchildren Friday morning found the three slain in their trailer home just south of Janesville.

Russell Lucht rushed to a neighbor's house to call police.

"He said, 'They're dead! They're all dead!' and was just hysterical," said the neighbor, Linda Mitchell.

Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden said investigators were still trying to determine how the three died, but added, "It is obvious to us a homicide took place there."

No suspects had been identified as of late Friday, and detectives focused on learning more about the victims, he said. Autopsies were to be performed today. Spoden identified the dead woman as

Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her children as Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14. The family had lived in the trailer since before 2001, Mitchell said.

Lucht was alerted that something was amiss when Lentz did not show up for her shift at the Community Kids Learning Center in Janesville, where she had worked for more than a decade.

Lisa Furseth, a spokeswoman for the day care center, said Lentz was always reliable and her failure to show up for work sparked immediate concern. A co-worker, Linda Brickson, called Parker High School, where the Lentz children attended classes, and became further alarmed when she was told that they, too, had not shown up for school. She then called Lucht.

Mitchell said Lucht went to his daughter's home on U.S. Highway 51. His daughter's car was parked outside and no one answered when he knocked on the door, Mitchell said. Lucht then climbed in a window and found all three dead - Danyetta in a hall, Scott in the kitchen and Nicole in another room.

The scene was very bloody, Mitchell said. Spoden declined to discuss such information but said investigators from the state Department of Justice Crime Laboratory were gathering evidence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.truecrimeweblog.com/2007/01/lentz-family-murders-investigators-look.html

The Lentz Family Murders -- Investigators Look at MySpace
1/16/07 by Steve Huff

My first entry about the murders of Danyetta, Nicole, and Scott Lentz, written January 14, 2007:

"A Triple Murder You May Have Missed."

The Lentzes were found dead in their mobile home in Janesville, Wisconsin on January 12. They were victims of "complex homicidal violence," according to investigators working the case.

Danyetta, 38, was a long-time employee of a local daycare there in Janesville. Nicole, 17, and brother Scott, 14, were high-school students.

My original blog entry broke the news about Nicole's presence on MySpace.com, and how there were interesting variations between a Google cache of her page made on November 15, 2006, and the page as it currently appears: www.myspace.com/nickibaby16. Namely, the presence of Nicole's one-time boyfriend, James Warner, on the page captured by Google in November, and his notable absence from the page and MySpace in general when I first found the profile on January 15, 2006. A blog entry Nicole wrote in mid-December, 2006 about her "bf" (boyfriend) being untruthful seemed to indicate the couple had broken up, seemed to indicate she and James were on the outs.

Yet it has been reported at least once that James Warner called a neighbor of the Lentzes on the night of January 12, a person he would call when he couldn't reach Nicole.

Now there's this piece:

"Investigators Look At Teen's Internet Activity For Clues In Triple Slaying."

It's published on WISC-TV's Channel3000.com. A quote:


Nicole Lentz, 17, had a MySpace.com Web page, and someone was logged into her account as late as the day the bodies were found, WISC-TV reported.

"(We want) to find out who these contacts were that they may have had on the Internet at the MySpace, and they might be able to offer us information as to the last 24 to 48 hours of these victims lives," said Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden...

Could it be that someone was actually logged-in to Nicole's page after she was murdered? If so, why? Or was she murdered while her computer was still on, perhaps the page still up and her account open?

I developed other questions after comparing the cached and current pages. The most persistent question in my mind was whether or not Nicole and James were still broken up when the family was slain.

Nicole's screen name is now "james&nicki2gether4ever," and she still has a marquee scrolling across one portion of her profile that proclaims, "I love James Warner."

Had the couple gotten back together?

If not, then I'm sure Mr. Warner is feeling some heat.

Then again, it could be that James Warner truly was worried that night and calling the Lentz's neighbor because he truly was puzzled at not being able to reach Nicole. He deserves every benefit of the doubt, since he could be a deeply grieving young man right now, and not a suspect in any fashion.

That investigators may have focused on Nicole's online presence for any reason though is not a surprise to me. Thing is, if there is some evidence there that they find significant, it is doubtful we will know what that is until someone has been brought to trial.

Let's hope that we will have trial of some sort to wait through sooner rather than later.

UPDATE 1, 1/17/07

There may be a suspect in custody in the Lentz murders. It is not James Warner or Danyetta Lentz's ex-husband, both men have been cleared of involvement in these murders. From Channel3000.com, WISC-TV:

Unidentified sources say a suspect is in police custody in connection with the killing of a family near Janesville last week, WISC-TV reported.

According to those sources, the suspect is a resident in or near the mobile-home park where the Lentz family -- Danyetta Lentz, 38, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and 14-year-old son, Scott -- were found last Friday.

The Rock County sheriff is scheduled to hold a news conference about the case on Wednesday at 5 p.m...

So, a neighbor may have done it. That's everyone's nightmare, isn't it? That the guy across the way or the person next door is harboring a homicidal animal in their minds.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.gazetteextra.com/lentz_family011707.asp

Coming to grips with deaths

(Published Wednesday, January 17, 2007 12:36:48 PM CST)

By Marcia Nelesen
Gazette staff

Russ Lucht is letting the police do their jobs.

He's focused on doing his: Burying his daughter and grandchildren.

Last Friday morning, Russ crawled through the window of his daughter's locked trailer home. Inside, he found a bloody scene and the murdered bodies of Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her children Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14.

Tuesday morning, four days after his grisly discovery, Russ sat in a booth at the Wander In Cafe, 1445 Center Ave., Janesville, owned by his longtime girlfriend Fayette Fischer. Russ worked for more than 30 years at Gilman Engineering and today cooks at the diner, as did Danyetta on the weekends.

Father and daughter shared a love of cooking.

Russ Lucht and Kimberly Lucht, father and sister of Danyetta Lentz, sit in a booth at the Wander In Cafe in Janesville and talk about the murders of Danyetta and her children, Nicole and Scott. Russ cooks at the cafe, and Danyetta worked there on weekends.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff

Fayette said running the diner is kind of a family affair.

"She'll be greatly missed,'' Fayette said of Danyetta.

Russ struggles to push away the horror of Friday morning and is stoic as he concentrates on what needs to be done.

Russ withdrew money from his retirement account to start burial preparations. A fund has been started to help pay expenses.

The bodies will be cremated, and all three wil be buried in one plot.

Russ would have cremated the bodies right away, but he understands that the rest of the family needs closure.

"The reason to see (Danyetta and) the kids is to make sure that they're actually there,'' said Danyetta's sister Kimberly Lucht, 29, Beloit.

"I still think they're in the trailer, living their lives.''

"I just really want to call her,'' Kimberly said.

Lois Gillis, Danyetta's mother, also was at the diner Tuesday.

"I'm to the point where I run out of words,'' Lois said. "I'm still trying to convince myself. Then I get mad.''

Russ can't bring himself to go back into the trailer to get clothes for the burials. He said he'd rather go to Wal-Mart or Goodwill and get something nice.

He is tying up his daughter's loose ends, and he hears people say what a hard worker Danyetta was. How she would do anything for anybody.

Even when Danyetta was down, it didn't take much to put a smile back on her face, Russ recalled. (much more at link)

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.gazetteextra.com/lentz_reax011807.asp
Arrest shocks, upsets residents of mobile home community

(Published Thursday, January 18, 2007 11:29:27 AM CST)

By Ann Marie Ames
Gazette staff

While detectives combed a bloody trailer Friday afternoon looking for clues in a triple killing, James C. Koepp stood 100 yards away, sharing a cigarette with his neighbors and talking about the murders.

"I hope they get whoever did this," Koepp said that afternoon.

Shivering in a black winter jacket and baseball cap, the slight Koepp told a Janesville Gazette reporter that in December he had boarded up a broken window in Danyetta Lentz's trailer, which is kitty-corner from his.

Today, Koepp, a resident of Janesville Terrace, 3315 S. Highway 51, is in custody. He is expected to be charged Friday with the murders of Danyetta Lentz, 38, and her two children, Nicole and Scott Lentz, ages 17 and 14. The Lentz family was found dead early Friday.

On Friday, Danyetta Lentz's best friend, Angela Puckett, said she was shocked that Koepp, 47, was bold enough to stand on her front porch and comfort her Friday.

"He came up and hugged me and said, 'I know I don't know you very well, but I'm sorry,'" Puckett said. "I just broke down in tears when I heard they had him."

Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden personally told Danyetta's father, Russ Lucht, about the arrest. Lucht told the Gazette he wanted to commend the sheriff's department, and he said the arrest showed a job well done by investigators.

"I'm pleased with their job and the time they did it in," he said Wednesday night.

He and his family were upset to learn that Koepp was a registered sex offender.

"Nobody even knew he was a sex offender out there," he said. "People probably would have been a lot more cautious. That's the only thing that's making us upset now."

Perhaps the murders could have been prevented if people had known Koepp's history, he said.

Lucht said he had never seen Koepp and had never heard his daughter or grandchildren talk about him.

Rita Westby-Larson, 45, a Janesville Terrace resident, attended Edgerton High School with Koepp and had considered him a friend at the time.

School officials confirmed this morning that Koepp attended Edgerton High School from August 1974 to January 1976.

He was a trusted neighbor until about a month ago when he made comments about his criminal record that made her uncomfortable, Westby-Larson said.

"I'm shocked. He's been in our home. I've been here alone with him," Westby-Larson said. "It could have just as easily been anyone else."

Westby-Larson said it is difficult to picture Koepp, a man she often saw playing outside with his grandchildren and enjoying summer evenings with his family, as capable of committing such a gruesome murder.

"The family was always together. It's hard to picture that and then picture this," Westby-Larson said."

Westby-Larson called in sick to work the day after police found the Lentz family. Her stomach has settled a little now, she said, but she still feels confused and frightened.

"I can't believe a person I used to trust would do something like that," Westby-Larson said. "You kind of hope that it isn't him. But you kind of hope that it is because you want the person to be caught. You want to feel safe around here."

Chris Zoellner of Janesville said he played poker with Koepp, fished with him, enjoyed beers with him and worked with him at Papa John's Pizza in Janesville. He can't imagine that Koepp killed the Lentzes.

"It kind of took my breath away," Zoellner said of Wednesday's announcement. "I was very surprised and shocked because he was one of my closest friends there at Papa John's. I can't see him doing something like this."

Zoellner called the Gazette to give his opinion. He said he has seen Koepp yell in anger, but he has seen nothing to suggest that Koepp could be violent.

"He was a pretty easy-going guy. He'd get along with just about anybody," Zoellner said.

Zoellner said he worked with Koepp at Papa John's, 401 N. Parker Drive, for about three years until about two years ago. The last time he talked to him was about a year ago, he said.

Koepp owned a boat, and Zoellner was going to buy it, Zoellner said. They had fished together on the Rock River. They played poker and drank at Koepp's home at Janesville Terrace.

"I hope they got the wrong guy," Zoellner said.

After the arrest, the shock echoed through the trailer park, with many saying they had considered Koepp a trusted neighbor.

"I'm shocked," Michael Stibbe said Wednesday night. "I just talked to him (Monday) when we were out shoveling. I told him whoever did it should get the death penalty."

"It's a shocker," agreed Michael's brother, Steve Stibbe, whose trailer is only a few doors up from Koepp's. "I've sat right here at this table and had a beer with him. I would never have thought he was capable of it."

Steve, who has lived in the mobile home park for six years, guessed that Koepp had lived there for about two.

He did not know Danyetta Lentz personally, but he said he watched her children grow up.

"I'm really sad about it. Geez, there was a 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy who had their whole lives ahead of them. This is really scary, especially for a small trailer park like this. We would always leave our doors unlocked."

While Steve and his family said they were relieved that police had a suspect, they expressed concern for Koepp's family and hoped that justice would be served.

"I hope they're not just trying to nab somebody and put an innocent man in jail," Steve said. "Police can be under a lot of pressure, and they can make mistakes."

Neighbors weren't the only ones surprised by Koepp's arrest.

A former co-worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said he worked with Koepp at the pizza restaurant for a few years and just saw him a week or two ago.

"He did have anger issues, but you never expect something like to happen," he said.

Koepp rarely showed his anger at work.

"He was usually pretty professional, but … he did have his occasional explosions," the co-worker said.

He added that Koepp had recently worked at a milk hauling company but had been laid off a week or two ago.

Koepp told stories about his time in prison, he said.

"He said he pissed off Jeffrey Dahmer," he said.

Although Koepp "seemed all right" at work, co-workers heard rumors about a troubled home life and alcohol addiction, the former co-worker said.

"Guess he had kind of a drinking problem; sometimes he'd get a little violent I guess … from what I heard," he said.

Koepp got married in 1999, but the relationship was rocky, he said.

"He and his wife have been having marital problems as long as I can remember," he said. "They would split up and get back together."

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-wi-janesvilledeaths,0,6286131.story
Neighbor ordered to trial in Janesville slayings
Associated Press
1:55 PM CDT, April 15, 2008

Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: JANESVILLE, Wis. - A sex offender must stand trial on allegations he strangled and stabbed a day-care teacher and her two children, a court commissioner ordered Tuesday.

James Koepp, 49, has been charged with three felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 38-year-old Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott. He would face life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors submitted a report from the state crime lab during Koepp's preliminary hearing Tuesday that showed DNA in blood stains on Koepp's clothes that they say tie him to the murders. They also used testimony from a forensic pathologist to paint a grisly picture of how all three victims were strangled and stabbed multiple times.

That was enough for Rock County Circuit Court Commissioner Stephen D. Meyer.

"The court does find the defendant, James Koepp, has probably committed a felony,"
Meyer said.

Danyetta Lentz's father discovered all three bodies in the family's trailer home on the outskirts of this blue-collar city about 50 miles south of Madison in January 2007.

Detectives quickly targeted Koepp, who lived with his wife in another trailer just kitty-corner from the Lentzes.

Koepp was convicted of sexual assault in 1983. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender. His ex-wife, Nancy, who divorced him last year, has claimed he was having an affair with Danyetta Lentz.

He skipped an interview with investigators days after the bodies were found, according to court documents. A deputy spotted his car weaving that night and a wild chase ensued.

Koepp was captured after he ran over spike strips. He got four years in prison in March 2007 in connection with the chase. But delays in DNA tests in the Lentz murders forced Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary to hold off on charging him with the slayings until January.

Rock County Sheriff's Detective Richard Kamholz testified he questioned Koepp three days after the bodies were found. Koepp denied being in the Lentzes' trailer the night they were killed and even handed over the pants and shirt he was wearing that day.

Kamholz said he immediately noticed reddish stains on the clothes. He went back to visit Koepp two days later. Koepp told him he was in the Lentzes' trailer the night of the murders, but only for an hour.

O'Leary submitted into evidence a state crime lab report that concluded the stains were blood.

DNA discovered in the stains matched Danyetta Lentz and was a possible match for Nicole and Scott, the report found.

Koepp's attorney, Walter Isaacson, complained to Meyer that a judge last week rejected his request to subpoena the analyst who wrote the report, saying he couldn't cross-examine a piece of paper. Deputy District Attorney Perry Folts countered state law allows facts and findings in a report to be used as evidence. Meyer sided with Folts, saying he would have quashed the subpoena, too.

Kamholz testified he went back to interview Koepp two days after his initial visit and Koepp said he been in the trailer the night the family was killed.

O'Leary spent most of the three-hour preliminary hearing Tuesday getting forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Stier to describe the family's injuries in stomach-turning detail.

Stier, who performed autopsies on each victim, testified all three had been strangled. He found a scarf-like cloth tied around Danyetta Lentz's throat, he said, but he couldn't be sure it was used on all three victims.

Danyetta's body was missing a shirt and bra. She had been stabbed more than a dozen times in the head, chest, neck and back and suffered broken ribs, Stier said.

"She was putting up a fight for herself and, presumably, her children," he said.

The killer strangled and stabbed Scott Lentz in the back and two or three times in the chest, leaving a plastic-handled knife embedded in the boy, Stier said. The weapon had been twisted going in, he said, noting the boy's hooded sweat shirt was soaked with blood.

Nicole Lentz was stabbed four times in the back, Stier testified. Abrasions on her neck suggest she tried to remove whatever the killer was using to strangle her during a struggle, Stier said.

The Lentzes' friend and neighbor, Angela Puckett, watched with tears in her eyes. Koepp sat quietly with his attorneys and scribbled notes. A shocked expression came over his face as Stier described the family's wounds. Then he squinted at the pathologist, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Meyer ordered Koepp back to court on May 14 to enter a plea.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.channel3000.com/news/10784050/detail.html
James Koepp, 47, is being held by Rock County authorities in the deaths of Danyetta Lentz, 38, her 17-year-old daughter Nicole and 14-year-old son Scott. They were found dead in their mobile home last Friday morning. Authorities have said that they died of "complex homicidal violence."

Koepp is a registered sex offender who lived near the family in a mobile home park in Rock Township, just outside Janesville. Authorities haven't said how Koepp is connected to the victims besides being neighbors, WISC-TV reported.

Koepp was convicted of four counts of second-degree sexual assault in the 1980s. A criminal complaint said that Koepp sexually assaulted two women at a drug and alcohol treatment center in Madison in March 1982.

He was released from prison in 1993 to begin serving probation, but he was sentenced to another six years in prison after his probation was revoked by the state Department of Corrections.

Koepp appealed but the court upheld the six-year term as appropriate, citing his "two violent sexual assaults, his continued alcohol problems, and his unsatisfactory progress toward rehabilitation."

He was released from prison again in 2001, WISC-TV reported.

According to court documents, Koepp also has a history of alcohol abuse and mental illness, including depression, has made several suicide attempts, WISC-TV reported.

Authorities said that Koepp was initially picked up on Tuesday night on suspicion of drunken driving after a high-speed chase on Highway 51. Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden said on Wednesday that the sheriff's department and other law enforcement agencies began pursuing Koepp in Janesville when his vehicle was weaving and the driver was suspected of being under the influence.

Koepp's vehicle was stopped when police used road spikes after a chase, Spoden said.

The sheriff said that a residence and two vehicles connected to Koepp were searched for additional evidence.

Spoden said that he was satisfied with the arrest, but he urged people to remember the victims.

"I feel a sense of relief and sadness for the family," he said. "We have to remember there was the loss of three innocent people who were decent human beings."

Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary said that he plans to file three charges of first-degree intentional homicide against Koepp this week. (more at link)

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.channel3000.com/news/13674093/detail.html

Nancy Koepp divorced James Koepp, her husband of seven years and the man identified by the Rock County sheriff as the prime suspect in the homicides.

Danyetta Lentz and her two teenage children were found slain inside their mobile home on Jan. 12.

Nancy Koepp said she divorced her husband because he admitted to having an affair with Lentz, their neighbor.

Nancy Koepp spoke with WISC-TV about her life since the homicides and her thoughts on James Koepp's innocence.

"In my heart, I just can't see it being him. I just can't," Nancy Koepp said. "I just can't believe with his personality, the person that I knew for the past seven years could ever kill anybody, and especially two children, because he absolutely adored his grandbabies."

Nancy Koepp said that James Koepp was acting strange the night before he was arrested. She said that he even called her son with an odd favor.

"And he said, 'Please tell your mom how much I love her. And when this is done and over with, please tell her, let her know that I love her so very much.' And then he hung up," Nancy Koepp said. "And then he called his brother and said, 'I did something really, really stupid. My life is done with. Nancy's going to leave me.'"

Nancy Koepp said she believes James Koepp was referring to an affair he was having with Lentz, something about which he openly talks in his letters to his wife from jail.

"He just keeps telling me that he's so sorry, that he doesn't know why he turned to another woman. One thing led to another. He used to meet her at the mailbox. He fixed her window," Nancy Koepp said.

But when it comes to the killings, Nancy Koepp said she believes her husband is innocent and that he was merely an easy target for investigators.

"Me, personally, I think because of his past, and being a registered sex offender, that they targeted him. And he had an affair with the wrong person, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Nancy Koepp said.

A few other family members of James Koepp spoke with WISC-TV, and they also said they believe he is innocent.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-janesvilledeaths,0,3994497.story

Koepp pleads not guilty in triple slaying

5:28 PM CDT, May 19, 2008

JANESVILLE, Wis. - A man accused of killing a mother and her two children has pleaded not guilty.

Forty-nine-year-old James Koepp faces three charges of first-degree intentional homicides in the deaths of Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott.

Lentz's father found all three bodies in the trailer home they shared in January 2007. A forensic pathologist has testified they were stabbed and strangled.

Prosecutors say DNA in blood stains on Koepp's clothes tie him to the murders.

[Nut44x4]

Lawyers gear up for triple-murder trial

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010
JANESVILLE — Lawyers for the prosecution and defense continue to jockey for advantage on the eve of the long-awaited trial of James C. Koepp.

Jury selection starts Monday in the trial to decide whether Koepp, 50, is the killer of Danyetta Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott. The three died violently in their home just south of Janesville in January 2007.

At a hearing Tuesday, it was clear the trial would include technical scientific information as well as testimony from criminals who have been incarcerated with Koepp.

The trial is set for Courtroom C, which Judge Alan Bates acknowledged has limited seating. Bates said he’s checking to see if it’s possible to have the trial shown on a screen outside the courtroom.

The courthouse’s large, older courtrooms aren’t set up to keep people safe from the convicts who will testify, Bates said after the hearing.

One battleground Tuesday was DNA evidence. Deputy District Attorney Perry Folts hoisted a stack of paper several inches thick, a printout of the defense DNA expert’s PowerPoint presentation.

The judge and prosecution had just received the PowerPoint in recent days and said they had not had time to review it.

Folts called it “a blatant, intentional attempt” to violate Judge Alan Bates’ earlier decision.

Bates had ruled that the expert could only testify about her original report, which was six or seven pages long, so the huge PowerPoint could violate that order, Folts argued.

Folts also complained that the defense had provided no protocols for the expert’s analysis of the DNA evidence. Folts said the prosecution has been asking for those protocols for two years.

Folts asked Bates to prohibit the defense expert from testifying.

Assistant Public Defender Walter Isaacson said his expert used state crime lab data and came to the same conclusions as the lab did.

Bates did not rule on the motion. He said that he would deal with it at trial. But he warned that he would not allow testimony that strayed from the expert’s original report.

Isaacson made a number of motions to suppress information at trial, including:

-- Evidence that a someone known only as “Officer Fran” had told a cellmate of Koepp’s that Koepp had killed three people and that the inmate, Leonard Cusic, should “keep his ears open.” Bates said he would deal with the issue if it arises at trial.

-- A statement allegedly made by Koepp when interviewed at the Rock County Jail on Jan. 17, 2007: “I think this is the part where I need a lawyer.” Bates agreed.

-- Evidence about Koepp refusing to take a polygraph test on Jan. 15, 2007. Bates agreed.

-- Evidence that Koepp was previously convicted of a sex offense. Bates agreed but said he might allow it if the defense introduces the question of how one person could control multiple persons with a knife, something that apparently occurred in the previous case.

-- Evidence that detectives had told Koepp that “we/I know you killed these people.” Bates denied the motion.

-- Evidence from a medical examiner’s report that states the victims died from “complex homicidal violence,” which Isaacson said could prejudice jurors.

District Attorney David O’Leary said the question of whether someone killed the victims is not an issue.

“These people were violently killed. This trial is about whether Mr. Koepp did it,” O’Leary said.

Bates agreed, denying the motion.

Koepp's two-week trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection Monday in Kenosha. The Racine County jurors will be sequestered in Janesville for the duration of the trial, which could last two weeks.

Koepp in June was granted a change of venue because the judge ruled that media exposure made it difficult for Koepp to get a fair trial from local jurors.

Koepp faces three life sentences if convicted on the three charges of first-degree intentional homicide.
http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/jan/20/lawyers-gear-triple-murder-trial/

[LiveLaughLuv]

"And he said, 'Please tell your mom how much I love her. And when this is done and over with, please tell her, let her know that I love her so very much.' And then he hung up," Nancy Koepp said. "And then he called his brother and said, 'I did something really, really stupid. My life is done with. Nancy's going to leave me.'"

Nancy Koepp said she believes James Koepp was referring to an affair he was having with Lentz, something about which he openly talks in his letters to his wife from jail.

"He just keeps telling me that he's so sorry, that he doesn't know why he turned to another woman. One thing led to another. He used to meet her at the mailbox. He fixed her window," Nancy Koepp said.

What a long arduous task to finally find the person responsible for this triple homicide.

Something went terribly wrong with this man to have the blood of these victims on his clothes. That's the best indication of his involvement. I hate to see an innocent person go to prison but I don't think that's the case here even as his ex wife claims it's out of character for him. He loved his grandchildren and couldn't see him killing two children..JMHO

[packy]

It does seem incriminating that the stains on his clothing showed DNA of the victim, If they did a confirmatory test for blood so it can be proven that it actually was DNA in blood.

[mollybrown]

I have been looking for a live feed. I also posted on the comments section (in the news article) about a live feed, nothing yet!

[Mysticalmom]

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_d503446a-0920-11df-9d26-001cc4c03286.html

Sunday, January 24, 2010 1:40 pm

JANESVILLE - Lot 37 in the Terrace Mobile Home Park is snow-covered and empty. The only sign anyone lived, or died, on this spot sits wedged in a tree - a single, sodden teddy bear.

It's sat there through rain, heat and snow, a silent reminder that a struggling single mother and her two children met their ends here. Someone stabbed and strangled Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott and left their bodies strewn around the family's trailer, soaked in blood.

Now, finally, a jury will begin deciding this week whether the killer was their neighbor, 50-year-old sex offender James Koepp. He faces three counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Each count carries a mandatory life sentence.

Jury selection is set to begin Monday in Kenosha County after Koepp's lawyers argued publicity has turned Rock County jurors against him. Opening statements are set for Tuesday in Janesville. Judge R. Alan Bates has set aside two weeks for the trial.

"I want this whole thing to just end," said Lentz's neighbor and friend, Angie Puckett. "Let it be done. It's been three years too long. ... I want Dani, Nicole and Scottie to just rest in peace."

Lentz, 38, taught 2- to 4-year-olds at Community Action Daycare. Her boss said she went through a divorce in 1996 and lived a tough life.

On Friday, Jan. 12, 2007, Lentz didn't show up for work and the kids didn't show up for school. Her father drove to the trailer and found all three bodies.

A forensic pathologist later testified all three had been strangled. Danyetta's body was naked from the waist up. She also had been stabbed more than a dozen times. Nicole was stabbed four times in the back. Scott was stabbed in the back and several times in the chest. The killer left a knife embedded in the boy's chest.

The slayings shocked Janesville, a blue-collar city of 50,000 about 40 miles south of Madison. As the days wore on paranoia grew in the trailer park, an isolated hamlet of battered mobile homes in the open fields outside the city. Neighbors started suspecting neighbors; Puckett took to sleeping with a knife under her pillow and Bruce Davis told reporters he had his gun ready if anyone broke into his trailer.

Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden vowed to find the killer. His detectives keyed on Koepp, a convicted sex offender who lived kitty-corner from the Lentzes with his wife.

According to court documents, investigators met with Koepp three days after the slayings. He denied being in the Lentzes' trailer the night before the bodies were found, but gave them the shirt and pants he said he wore the night before the bodies were found; they had red stains that tests later showed were blood, according to prosecutors.

The next day, a deputy spotted Koepp's car weaving. A chase ensued, ending when Koepp ran over spike strips. As a deputy put him in a squad car, Koepp said, "I didn't mean to kill anyone," according to court documents.

His stepson told investigators Koepp called him the day of the chase. Koepp said he was certain he would be arrested and was running. Tennessee was nice that time of year and he didn't think he would make it all the way to Mexico, Koepp said, according to a criminal complaint.

Koepp told detectives the day after the chase that he was at the trailer the night of the killings after all, the complaint said. He wanted to talk to Lentz about an affair they were having, he said, and they drank beer.

He got four years in prison in connection with the chase. But District Attorney David O'Leary didn't file homicide charges until January 2008, after tests showed the stains on Koepp's clothes were blood and DNA in them matched Lentz and was a possible match for Nicole and Scott.

Koepp's attorneys, public defenders Larry Peterson and Walter Isaacson, have spent the last two years trying to get the charges dismissed. Among their arguments: Lentz's father destroyed evidence when he had the trailer hauled off Lot 37 and recycled, they weren't allowed to question a state DNA analyst during a hearing and detectives intimidated Koepp into handing over his clothes.

Peterson declined comment on trial strategy, but court filings show they plan to call a private DNA analyst as a witness. She has written in a report her findings "sometimes varied" from state analysts' results, but it's unclear what she may say on the stand.

They also persuaded Bates to keep Koepp's criminal record off-limits during the trial and allow them to argue an unknown suspect attacked the family.

They say in one of their motions that DNA from two unknown men was found on a knife in the trailer's living room and on a scarf-like fabric tied around Lentz's throat. Koepp was not a contributor to either mixture, the filing said.

"We're looking forward to putting on our case," Peterson said. "We're looking for an acquittal."

O'Leary acknowledged DNA will be important, but the state has other evidence - a court filing last week suggests Koepp made several "inculpatory statements" to a cellmate - and as many as 30 witnesses lined up.

Both sides have subpoenaed Puckett as a witness. She said she doesn't know what they expect her to say, but she's not looking forward to reliving any of it.

"It brings up a lot of bad memories," she said. "Nobody will ever forget."

[Mysticalmom]

http://host.madison.com/news/state-and-regional/wisconsin/article_71b04dbd-d355-591c-b456-074a09385c32.html

By TODD RICHMOND | Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:55 pm | No Comments Posted

A convicted sex offender left behind DNA evidence after he strangled and stabbed his neighbor and her two teenage children, and he gave police conflicting stories about his whereabouts on the night of the killings, a prosecutor said Tuesday at the outset of the man's murder trial.

James Koepp, 50, skipped an interview with detectives four days after the bodies of Danyetta Lentz and her children Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14, were found in her trailer, said Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary. Koepp was arrested that night after a wild car chase, and he described to a co-worker details about the slayings that only police and the killer would know, the prosecutor said.

O'Leary also said he would prove Koepp's DNA was under two of the victims' fingernails and on a bloody tie found in the family's trailer. The prosecutor said Koepp gave detectives the clothes he was wearing that night and that they were stained with Danyetta Lentz's blood.

"We're searching for the truth about what happened on that terrible day," O'Leary said.

But defense attorney Walter Isaacson said Koepp had nothing to do with the January 2007 killings in Janesville, and that the Lentzes were killed during a robbery.

Koepp had recently had a tryst with Danyetta Lentz and had gone to her trailer the night she was killed to discuss the encounter, but left because her children were there, Isaacson said.

"No way did Jim Koepp commit these crimes," Isaacson said.

Koepp has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree intentional homicide. He faces life in prison if convicted of a single count. He is serving a four-year prison sentence for drunken driving and reckless endangerment from the chase.

O'Leary promised jurors they would hear how Koepp called his stepson after the killings and told him he was going to leave for Tennessee because he didn't think he could make it to Mexico.

Sheriff's deputies eventually spotted Koepp's car and the high-speed chase ensued. The next day, Koepp gave investigators three stories about the night of the killings, O'Leary said. First he said he was never there, then he said he went to talk to Lentz and left, then acknowledged he wanted to talk to her about their affair.

Isaacson said Koepp, who was married at the time, was ashamed of the affair and didn't want it to come out, partly because he couldn't become sexually aroused.

"So he lies. He doesn't want to go into all this," Isaacson said.

Lentz's father, Russell Lucht, testified that his daughter eked out a living as a daycare provider and by helping out at a local restaurant and donating plasma. He described how her day care employer called him the morning of Jan. 12 and said his daughter hadn't shown up for work.

He climbed into the trailer through a window, fearing she and the children had suffocated on carbon monoxide. He found his daughter's body in the hall just outside her bedroom, Nicole dead on the living room floor and Scott dead in the kitchen, a pool of blood beneath him.

State forensic scientist Nick Stahlke testified Scott and Nicole were found barefoot, but their feet were unbloodied. Scott's body was found in the kitchen with a chair leg on top of his leg, even though his bedroom was splattered with blood and was littered with his belongings. Some clean items had been thrown on top of bloody ones, Stahlke said.

"That indicates to me the scene had been tossed," Stalhke said.

Danyetta Lentz was found naked from the waist up, he testified. Stalhke held up her tank top and bra, both stained brown with dried blood, and testified they had been torn off her. His testimony was expected to continue Wednesday.

Lucht left the courtroom when Stahlke took the stand.

Koepp, a slight, short man, took notes during Tuesday's proceedings.

Koepp was convicted in 1983 of sexually assaulting two women at a substance abuse center where he once spent time. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender for life.

He was returned to prison in 1995 for violating probation by drinking.

[Mysticalmom]

http://host.madison.com/news/state-and-regional/wisconsin/article_71b04dbd-d355-591c-b456-074a09385c32.html

By TODD RICHMOND | Posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:15 pm | No Comments Posted

A forensic analyst testified Wednesday that the bodies of a teenage brother and sister were likely staged after they and their mother were killed, bolstering the prosecution's argument that their deaths were made to look like they happened during a robbery.

Blood splatter patterns in the trailer home of Danyetta Lentz and her children, 17-year-old Nicole Lentz and 14-year-old Scott Lentz, showed the children's bodies were repositioned after they were strangled and stabbed to death in January 2007, state forensic scientist Nick Stahlke testified.

James Koepp, a 50-year-old neighbor of the Lentzes, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in their deaths. If convicted of a single count, he faces a life prison sentence.

Prosecutors say blood found on Koepp's clothing matched Danyetta Lentz, that he lied to investigators by telling them he hadn't been at the Lentz home the night of the killings, and that he skipped a second interview with detectives and intended to flee the state. He was captured after a high-speed car chase four days after the slayings.

Koepp is serving a four-year prison sentence for drunken driving and reckless endangerment stemming from the chase.

Koepp's defense attorneys say Koepp was having an affair with Danyetta Lentz, 38, but insist the family was killed during a robbery. Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary worked Wednesday to show the scene had been staged.

Stahlke testified that Nicole was moved from lying on her left side to lying on her back, and that a book was propped up against her leg. He said Scott was initially on his back, then was rolled onto his side against the kitchen table. Someone placed a chair on his leg, Stahlke said.

He said blood splattered around Scott's room led to the hallway, where Danyetta Lentz was found, suggesting she was attacked in the bedroom and fought her way into the hall. Her attacker ripped her shirt off during the fight and stabbed her several times after she was dead, Stahlke said.

The shirt and jeans Koepp said he was wearing the night of the murders were stained with blood, he added, including a pattern consistent with a glove or sock covering a hand, Stahlke said. He noted both Nicole and Scott were barefoot and Lentz was wearing only one sock.

Defense attorney Walter Isaacson tried to discredit Stahlke, pointing out he worked as a forensic document examiner until 2006. He also questioned why Stahlke didn't collect every bit of evidence from the trailer.

He keyed on Stahlke's decision not to collect a bloodstained mattress from Scott's room, asking how he could be sure Lentz was attacked there without analyzing it. He also questioned why Stahlke asked Rock County Sheriff's deputies to search the trailer again after his team left.

Stahlke said he didn't feel a need to collect every bit of evidence from the scene. The patterns in Scott's room led to Lentz, he said.

As for asking the deputies to search again, he said the scene was complex and an investigation doesn't end when his team leaves.

Later Wednesday, forensic pathologist Michael Stier testified Danyetta Lentz was strangled and stabbed 23 times, including 12 times in the chest after she was dead. The stab wounds were delivered with such force they broke her ribs, he said.

Scott was strangled and stabbed once in the back. He also was stabbed at least five times in the chest after he was dead. The killer left behind a serrated knife twisted into in the boy's chest, Stier said.

Nicole was strangled and stabbed four times in the back, either before she died or close to the time of death, Stier said.

He noted Nicole and Scott were found barefoot and Lentz was found with one foot bare and one sock on. None of them had any blood on their feet, suggesting any shoes and socks were removed after they died.

Isaacson asked him if he could tell whether the three were stabbed and strangled at the same time, trying to raise doubts about how one man could choke and stab them at the same time, but Stier said he couldn't tell.

Koepp was convicted in 1983 of sexually assaulting two women at a substance abuse center where he once spent time. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender for life.

He was returned to prison in 1995 for violating probation by drinking.

[Mysticalmom]

http://host.madison.com/news/state-and-regional/wisconsin/article_71b04dbd-d355-591c-b456-074a09385c32.html
Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010 9:00 pm

The former cellmate of a man charged in the killings of a woman and two children is testifying that James Koepp confessed and offered a motive.

Kenneth Erdmann testified Thursday in Janesville that Koepp's confessions came during private conversations at Columbia Correctional Institution.

Erdmann claims Koepp told him he killed Danyetta Lentz and her children, Nicole and Scott, in January 2007 because he didn't want his wife to know about his affair with Danyetta.

Erdmann's testimony is the first time prosecutors have offered a motive for the killings.

Under defense questioning, Erdmann admitted that he tried to get information to offer the prosecution in exchange for a lighter prison sentence.

Koepp, a 50-year-old neighbor of the Lentzes, says he's innocent of three counts of first-degree intentional homicide.

___

[Mysticalmom]

http://new.wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/feb/01/inmates-give-conflicting-testimony-koepp-trial/

* Mon February 1, 2010 1 day, 4 hours ago
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JANESVILLE, Wis. (WTAQ) - Cellmates of accused triple-murderer James Koepp have given conflicting testimony at his trial. This is the second week of Koepp’s trial in Rock County on charges that stabbed and strangled his neighbor Danyetta Lentz and her 2 teenagers in 2007 at the woman’s mobile home near Janesville. Koepp is already serving a 4-year prison term for getting into a high-speed chase with officers a few days after the slayings.

Last week, his fellow inmate Kenneth Erdmann said Koepp admitted the murders because he didn’t his wife to know he had an affair with Danyetta Lentz. But Monday, another inmate – Jose Soto – refuted that testimony. He quoted Erdmann as saying Koepp never admitted to the murders – and Erdmann would say anything to get out of prison himself. Under cross-examination, a prosecutor asked Soto if he was in a rival gang to Erdmann’s – or if he didn’t like snitches. Soto denied both, although he did say he was in a different but not opposing gang.

[Mysticalmom]

http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/feb/02/dna-expert-testifies-triple-homicide-trial/
Jury deliberating in triple homicide case
By TED SULLIVAN ( Contact ) Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010

Koepp murder trial


Special section dedicated to coverage of the James Koepp trial

JANESVILLE — Jurors in the James Koepp triple homicide trial began deliberating at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Koepp, 51, faces three charges of first-degree intentional homicide in the January 2007 stabbings and strangulations of Danyetta Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott. If convicted, Koepp faces three life sentences.

Attorneys on both sides made closing arguments Tuesday afternoon.

District Attorney David O'Leary and Deputy District Attorney Perry Folts highlighted their case:

*Koepp killed Danyetta Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott, to prevent his wife from finding out about his affair with Danyetta and divorcing him

*Koepp initially lied to investigators about being in the Lentz home that night, then later admitted to being there. He intiially lied about knowing the Lentzes, then admitted an affair with Danyetta. His actions show guilt.

*Koepp called a former employer and said he was worried about his fingerprints being at the scene. He apologized after their conversation.

*Koepp avoided police and ran when he was supposed to be questioned about the murders.

*He called his brother, crying and upset, saying he did something stupid and didn't mean to hurt anyone.

*He later told a police officer everything was going against him, saying “Oh c’mon, I gave you my ... pants."

*A bloody tie used to strangle the victims had Koepp's DNA on it.

*The defense's theory of an unknown robber isn't believable because the Lentz family was poor.

*No one wanted to steal pills, either, because prescription drugs were left at the scene.

*The scene was staged to look like a robbery.

*A book or chair was placed against the victims so Koepp would hear the items move if the victims were still alive.

*Koepp also had injuries on his body from the vicitms fighting him.

*Koepp's DNA was under Nicole's and Danyetta's fingernails and on the shower head and body scrubber in the Lentz home.

*The victims' blood was on the clothes Koepp wore the night of the murders.

In his closing arguments, defense attorney Walter Isaacson said:

*Unknown male DNA was found on a knife and strangulation device.

*Bloody gloves or socks the murderer wore over his hands were never found.

*Koepp had no fear of Danyetta telling his wife about their affair because it wasn't much of a relationship. They had only one sexual encounter.

*Koepp's injuries could have come from deputies taking him down when he was arrested.

*How could Koepp kill all three victims without the victims helping others or trying to escape?

*Why wold Koepp kill Danyetta when her kids were home?

*It doesn't make sense that the killer would stab and strangle the victims at the same time, suggesting a second killer was involved.

*An unknown robber might have done the murders. No money was found in the home.

*Someone turned on the lights in the Lentz home after the prosecutor claims the murders occurred. Who turned on the lights?

*An unknown black SUV was parked outside the Lentz home at 1 a.m.

*Koepp had no blood on his boots or shoes, but it was a bloody crime scene.

*A blood sample on Koepp’s jeans was too small to include or exclude people.

*Koepp lied to investigators because he was embarrassed about his affair.

*Certain evidence wasn't preserved.

[Mysticalmom]

http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=11921696
James Koepp found guilty of murder
Updated: Feb 02, 2010 6:36 PM CST

JANESVILLE (WREX) - A Janesville man has been found guilty of killing a mother and her two children.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before reaching their verdict late Tuesday. Koepp was found guilty of three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 38-year-old Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott. Their bodies were found by Danyetta's father inside their mobile home in January 2007. They were strangled and stabbed to death.

Koepp, 51, lived behind Lentz in the same mobile home park. Prosecutors said blood from all three victims was on his clothes.

Koepp faces mandatory life in prison. He did not take the stand to defend himself in the case.

[Roamer]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100203/ap_on_re_us/us_wisconsin_triple_killing

By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press Writer Todd Richmond, Associated Press Writer – Tue Feb 2, 8:53 pm ET

JANESVILLE, Wis. – A convicted sex offender was found guilty Tuesday of strangling and stabbing his neighbor and her two teenage children in their trailer home in southern Wisconsin.

Jurors deliberated for only about 90 minutes before convicting James Koepp of Janesville of three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 38-year-old Danyetta Lentz, her 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her 14-year-old son, Scott. Koepp faces mandatory life in prison when he is sentenced April 27.

District Attorney David O'Leary said the victims' DNA on Koepp's clothes and his DNA under Lentz and Nicole's fingernails was crucial in convincing jurors. Koepp could not explain how it got there, O'Leary said.

The jurors and Koepp's attorneys left the courthouse after the verdict without talking to reporters.

The verdicts close a gruesome case that has hung over Janesville, a blue collar city of about 40 miles south of Madison, for more than three years.
Lentz's father, Russell Lucht, found the bodies of his daughter and grandchildren in the trailer the family shared on the city's outskirts in January 2007. All three had been strangled and stabbed multiple times.

Scott's room had been ransacked, and the trailer was splattered with blood.

Detectives quickly focused on Koepp, now 51, who lived behind the Lentzes in the same trailer park. Nicole's boyfriend told investigators he talked to Nicole on the night of the murders and she told him "Jim" was in the trailer.

Koepp was convicted in 1983 of sexually assaulting two women at a substance abuse center where he once spent time. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender for life.

Forensic analysts testified during the trial that Koepp's DNA was found under Lentz and Nicole's fingernails and DNA from blood on Koepp's clothing matched all three victims.

O'Leary also pointed out during his closing arguments that Koepp first told investigators he didn't know the family and wasn't at their trailer the night they died. He later acknowledged he went there to talk to Lentz about an affair they had.

Koepp skipped an interview with detectives and tried to flee the state four days after the slayings, leading sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase for which he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Koepp left a voicemail for his brother hours before the chase, saying "I didn't want to hurt nobody. ... I didn't want to hurt them."

O'Leary said Koepp killed Lentz to keep her from telling his wife about their affair. His wife divorced him after his arrest.

Koepp's attorney, Walter Isaacson, countered during his closing argument there was no reason to assume Lentz was going to talk about the affair and no reason for Koepp to kill her when her children were home. He claimed robbers killed the family.

Lucht fought back tears as the verdicts were read.

"It's been a long three years, a very long three years," he told reporters. "It's been long. It's been hard. It's over with. It's done. Thank you very much."