Evidence sufficient to try Koepp in murders
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James C. Koepp during his Rock County Court House appearance at a preliminary hearing in the triple homicide.
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Dr. Michael Stier explains how a knife wound showed signs of a twisting motion in one of the victims during the James Koepp preliminary triple homicide hearing.
JANESVILLE — Danyetta Lentz fought ferociously with her killer.
“She was very resistant. She was putting up a fight for herself and presumably her children,” Dr. Michael Stier testified in court Tuesday.
Lentz was a “robust, healthy, non-intoxicated woman. … She was not a pushover,” said Stier, the pathologist who performed autopsies on Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott.
Stier testified Tuesday in the preliminary hearing for James C. Koepp, 49, a prison inmate who once was the Lentzes’ neighbor in Janesville Terrace, a mobile home park at 3315 S. Highway 51.
Court Commissioner Steve Meyer ruled that Koepp, 49, probably committed a felony in connection with murders of the Lentzes.
Prosecutors did not offer their theory of how one person could kill three others—an adult and two teens—single handedly without a gun in a small mobile home.
Their case Tuesday was based on physical evidence.
From questions they asked at the preliminary hearing, it appears assistant public defenders Walt Isaacson and Larry Peterson will try to cast doubt on the physical evidence, including how it was gathered and handled.
Although Koepp was ordered to stand trial, the defense attorneys have a motion on file to dismiss the charges against their client. They say the evidence is not sufficient.
A hearing on that motion has not yet been scheduled.
Danyetta’s father, Russ Lucht, found his daughter and her children slain in their mobile home. Danyetta was 38; Nicole, 17, and Scott, 14.
Based on the ligature furrow left on her neck, Danyetta fought with her murderer, and it took a “matter of minutes” for her to be killed, Stier said.
Strangulation by ligature—a ligature is an instrument, some form of cord, rope or fabric—was the principal cause of death for Danyetta, although she also was stabbed many times, Stier said.
But some of the stab wounds to Danyetta and Scott, who also was strangled, were administered after they died or as they were dying because they did not bleed or did not bleed much from the stab wounds, Stier said.
Pinpoint bleeding found in Scott’s eyes and other evidence “lead me to conclude he was strangled by a ligature,” the pathologist testified.
Nicole, too, was strangled and stabbed, but she bled heavily and internally after being stabbed four times in the back, Stier said.
“Nicole was likely breathing when the wounds were applied,” he said.
While Stier’s testimony was the most dramatic and detailed of three witnesses called by the prosecution, reports from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab were the most damaging to Koepp.
Rock County 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.
The crime lab reported that stains found on the blue jeans were blood and contained DNA that matched Danyetta’s.
In addition, a stain on a denim shirt that Kamholz said Koepp gave him was blood and contained a mix of DNA from four people, and the DNA was consistent with DNA from Koepp and the Lentzes, according to the crime lab report.
The reports eliminated Koepp as the source of DNA found on key pieces of evidence, including the scarf-like cloth found tied around Danyetta’s neck. Lack of a person’s DNA on a piece of evidence does not mean, however, that he or she did not handle it.
Meyer continued Koepp’s $750,000 bond on the three charges of first-degree intentional homicide.
Koepp remains in custody at Columbia Correctional Institution, where he is serving a prison sentence for felony fleeing. He led Rock County deputies on a chase when he was supposed to be talking to investigators about the murders.
Meyer scheduled Koepp’s next court hearing for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 14. At the arraignment, Koepp is expected to enter not guilty pleas.
May 20, 2008 at 2:56 a.m.
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I believe everyone in their department did a thorough job.Theres more evidence than just the crime labs, but i guess that is what our family will hear at the trial.Everybody has a right to their opinion.Believe me your going to hear alot of stories in the news, doesn't mean it's all correct, including the weather man, and he still has a job!..lol..
May 15, 2008 at 1:43 a.m.
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STEVIE~
ARE YOU TOTALLY SURE re: Koepp??! (And I'm REALLY SORRY, but I'm NOT SO SURE! And I ALSO mean NO DISRESPECT to your Family EITHER!! BUT I TOTALLY agree w/ hollynpat!! WHOMEVER DID IT NEEDS TO BE CAUGHT, I "TOTALLY" AGREE!! :)...BUT, I DON'T THINK IT'S KOEPP!...(NEVER have!! See previous posts..if NOT gone!) CRIME LABS "DON'T" ALWAYS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!!!
GOD BLESS ALL OF YA!!!! :) :) :)
May 15, 2008 at 12:57 a.m.
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It makes me upset when people try to perdict what happen.If this case goes to trial, everyone will no the truth. Crime labs speak for itself!! Yes i believe James Koepp is guilty. He will pay for what he did to my family, but not the death penalty, that's to easy!! For all you nosey people, my father is the one who found his daughter, and grandkids. Our family has been kept from information on this case so i do know the public and news has to, so all these stories that are published is just a way to keep people gossiping! I thank God for looking after are family and i do appreciate the support we have been getting from people.
Apr 24, 2008 at 8:55 a.m.
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no disrespect to anyone. I just feel he is innocent.
Apr 24, 2008 at 8:49 a.m.
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I don't think he did it...
Apr 24, 2008 at 8:05 a.m.
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They were in different rooms.. from another story "Rock County Sheriff's Deputy Ronald Schmitt testified Tuesday that he was the first officer to enter the trailer. He says he found Scott Lentz in the kitchen.....
Schmitt says he found Nicole Lentz in the living room and Danyetta Lentz slumped against a wall in the rear of the trailer."
We won't know everything they have until the actual trial...
Apr 19, 2008 at 4:52 p.m.
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No, they were not all in different rooms. Besides it's a trailer, in a trailer park. Exactly how big do you think a trailer is, and how close together are the trailer's to each other? There is no mention of the teens wearing ipods, and I wouldn't imagine wearing one would prevent them from feeling the trailer shake from a struggle. The paper said the mother was fighting the attacker.
Apr 17, 2008 at 12:04 p.m.
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Considering they were all in different rooms and you can't really scream when you are being strangled, I can see how one person could do it. Especially a person that they knew and weren't afraid of. Also the two teens could have had music on or i-pods or something that would have made it harder to hear a struggle. The stab wounds were inflicted after the strangulation on two victims so they may not have made much noise.
I do wish they didn't publish so much detail as it must be sickening to their friends and family.
Apr 17, 2008 at 11:21 a.m.
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From the beginning of this horrific crime, I have been suspicious of the notion of just one killer. The fact that the murders occurred fairly early in the evening (noone heard a sound?)and that there were three victims who were all strangled and stabbed. How does one person start killing the first victim (who is fighting for her/his life) while the other two victims are doing what? They could be fighting back or calling 911 or running out of the trailor screaming for help. Seriously, how does this notion of one killer fit? What is the motive? Doesn't James Koepp have a wife? Did she have an alibi stating that she was at work? Is there validity to the alibi? I am not trying to implicate anyone here, I certainly do not have any grounds to do so. I just have never been able to shake off this feeling that more than one person committed these murders.
Apr 17, 2008 at 9:56 a.m.
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LET'S THROW THEM ALL IN THE SLAMMER WITH A BIG BURLY DUDE NAMED BUBBA LOOKING FOR A GIRLFRIEND!
Apr 17, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.
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Yeah the death penalty . . . wait, but he's got bud light!
Apr 17, 2008 at 1:28 a.m.
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lets hope they crossed all their t's and dotted all their i's , so this man does not get off on a technicality,but im sure someone will screw it up , they always do.
Apr 16, 2008 at 9:45 p.m.
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I never said that killing innocent people is justified. That is just plain stupid. Maybe I came across wrong, maybe you took it wrong. Whatever the case I apologize if I caused any offense - that is certainly not what I intended.
Apr 16, 2008 at 9:31 p.m.
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luvujvl- Tell the family members of those 23 individuals it was worth it. The rationale that because there are sick individuals and child molesters justifies killing innocent people is simply not logical thinking. I'm not saying the death penalty is right or wrong but your logic doesn't fly.
Apr 16, 2008 at 9:06 p.m.
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I am totally for the innocent victims. If someone kills or rapes a child (as in another article)then they should be locked up for the rest of their life to protect the public. But sometimes the innocent victim is someone wrongly accused of a crime. If we kill them, then we, as a society, are just as guilty as the criminals who kill innocents.
Humans make mistakes, in collecting evidence, in processing evidence, in forcing confessions, in remembering details and in outright lying. There is no way that we as humans can be 100 percent certain that every criminal sentenced to death is guilty.
Apr 16, 2008 at 8:59 p.m.
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pig food pig food. that is all this guy is good for
Apr 16, 2008 at 8:50 p.m.
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wisconsinheat - yes, obviously the answer to your question is that one is too many as well. However - there are far more innocent victims (thousands of times more? Tens of thousands? Millions?) than there are innocent persecuted. So if I were going to pick sides, I'd vie for the innocent victims.
Apr 16, 2008 at 8:22 p.m.
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I'm very sorry, but this was too much information to be putting out to the pulic. I don't think the family and friends want to hear specifically how there family member or friend got killed. I was reading this while i was in school This is just too much to tell people. Nicole was one my really good friends since 8th grade so I understand how people are feeling on a personal level. And if this goes to trial (maybe by Jury) how are they really going to pick the jury members if there giving out all this information???
Apr 16, 2008 at 7:20 p.m.
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Exactly Sarah..whenever the human element is involved in any aspect of the procedure, no matter at what juncture, there is the possibility for error.
Apr 16, 2008 at 7:15 p.m.
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"The reports eliminated Koepp as the source of DNA found on key pieces of evidence, including the scarf-like cloth found tied around Danyetta’s neck."
If it isn't Koepp's DNA, whose is it? And what does this mean? If the souce of the DNA was one of the victims, you would think this would have been noted. Was there more than one killer? I believe DNA speaks the truth, but I am not as likely to believe DNA collection methods always speak the truth. DNA evidence is only as strong as the procedure and the ethics of those collecting it.
Apr 16, 2008 at 7:15 p.m.
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If you are willing to sacrifice your innocent relative in the name of the death penalty, then I say go for it.
Apr 16, 2008 at 7:13 p.m.
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luvujvl...
Obviously, even one of each is too many.
But the death penalty wont change that. It's a proven fact that it's not a deterrent.
.
I answered your question, now answer mine.
Apr 16, 2008 at 7:01 p.m.
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A couple questions back at ya -
How many innocently murdered people are too many? How many innocent molested children are too many? How many (not innocent) sick individuals loose on the streets are too many?
Apr 16, 2008 at 6:34 p.m.
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I understand that this is one of the biggest murder trials in Rock Co. history....But lets all remember that there is a family /friends that don't want or need too hear all the gory details !! I might have unreasonable wishes that the Gazette NOT report all the facts that come to light in this case...The family DOES deserve their dignity. May this family REST IN PEACE !!!!!
Apr 16, 2008 at 6:34 p.m.
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Just a couple of questions;
.
How many innocent executions are too many?
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Would that number change if one of those innocents was your son, daughter, brother, sister, or other relative....?
Apr 16, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.
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janesvillemom:
"There is no evidence that the death penalty deters crime"....... Excuse me ???? Sure the %&^%&^$ would deter that certain individual's future crimes, now wouldn't it ? An eye for an eye. When an individual makes a conscious decision to take rights away from someone else,(murder, rape, child molestation) then they give up their own rights - they are at the public's mercy. I say hang 'em high.
Apr 16, 2008 at 6:14 p.m.
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I copied this from the other story about this, so I apologize if you read it there.
China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the USA.
In 2006, 91 per cent of all known executions took place in six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the USA. Are these the kind of countries we want to be like? There is no evidence that the death penalty deters crime. The death penalty is barbaric and since we will never be perfect at convicting ONLY guilty people (how many death row inmates have been cleared by DNA?) and so far we haven't found a method of execution that works flawlessly, it should not be allowed. Life in prison without parole will keep dangerous people off of our streets. It is more cost effective than the death penalty. Make inmates work to reduce the cost even more. I am proud that Wisconsin doesn't have the death penalty.
As for Koepp, I am very thankful that the Janesville police caught him quickly and I'm sure he will never be free again. If you want him to suffer, the death penalty is quick and supposedly painless, how does that punish him? Make him sit in a cell and think about what he did for the rest of his life, that is punishment.
Apr 16, 2008 at 5:41 p.m.
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Who cares if it costs more to execute a person who is found guilty of murder? They should be given three quick appeals. They should also be given a DNA test to prove that they committed the crime. If they fail all the appeals and the DNA matches. They should pay the ultimate price. They weren't compassionate when they did the murdering.
Apr 16, 2008 at 5:38 p.m.
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I'm glad we don't have the death penalty. Why would you want to give someone three meals a day a place to sleep and clothes to wear and free health at the expense of Joe taxpayer. Heck they only are murderers.
Apr 16, 2008 at 5:06 p.m.
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jtmek........it costs more overall to execute a man than to keep him in prison for life. Check the statistics.
Apr 16, 2008 at 4:01 p.m.
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23 people were found innocent huh? thats just too bad, of the 7000 people they killed thats less than one half of one percent that were wrongfully executed, a shame indeed, however, one half of one percent of innocent people being killed is much better than the 7000 innocent people (assuming they only killed one person each which is low) that they killed and could have the potential to kill again. Tell the innocent brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers of the people that they killed that they deserve to live. Give me a break, sure its a damn shame that 23 innocent people died in the system, but no system is going to be perfect and you cant tell me that the 6,967 murderers who died deserved to live another second on this earth while the victims families suffer every second of every day?
Apr 16, 2008 at 2:22 p.m.
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I believe in the death penalty when they plead guilty or the proof is insurmountable. Why should taxpayers pay for 3 hots and a cot for 20, 30, 40 years?? We have so many poor and uneducated people. The money saved by executing those found guilty could be used for these people. It would be wise to better those who need help so as to help prevent future crimes. A prime example of someone who needed a death penalty would be Jeffrey Dahmer, although he did eventually get it in prison.
If the evidence against Koepp is overwhelming, and we really won't know until the trial, then he deserves the death penalty which he won't get in this great state of Wisconsin.
Apr 16, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.
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How about the biggest argument against the death penalty...
Why is murder illegal? Because killing another human being is wrong. If killing another human being is wrong, why is it ok for the government to kill it's own people?
Apr 16, 2008 at 1:50 p.m.
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well some of your rammbing makes a little sense,but lets not get carried away, what is the population ratio of blacks verses whites in Utah, second, we should change the legal system to limit the number of appeals one could make,as some are totally senseless, as its agiven the person is guilty, also maybe we should limit just how much lawyers can charge, i think it has gotten a little out of hand, when you are charged nearly 100 dollars per hour to talk to an office person, not even a real lawyer, and they usually round up the time,yes i know law school is expensive, but usually thats paid of within afew years, the rest is just plain robbery of us poor saps, if happen to get into trouble.
Apr 16, 2008 at 11:36 a.m.
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what a shame we dont have the death penalty in this state. What a waste to have this individual sit in prison for years on our tax dollar. ( Provided he is found guilty!)
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