"Calling it a love triangle would be the understatement of the century because in all of my years of crime junkying, I have never seen anything like this." — Ashley Flowers
"Make sure they get burned. Make sure Michelle goes to jail for a long time, but visit her there. Tell her how much I really did do love her. Tell her you love her, and help her." — Kent LePink (as read from his letter)
"I put ammonia and water. That's what we did in the Marine Corps. Hot water and ammonia." — John (as quoted from a Dateline interview)
The podcast episode "The Murder of Kent LePink" recounts the perplexing homicide of Kent LePink in Alaska in May 1996. The victim's parents received a disturbing letter from Kent, which instructed them to place it in a safe deposit box and to only open it if something happened to him. This ominous warning was soon validated when police informed them of Kent's murder, his body found near Hope, Alaska, having been shot multiple times. The sealed envelope revealed Kent's suspicions of his fiancée, Michelle, and two other men, John and Scott, whom he believed were responsible for his death and had defrauded him.
The investigation into Kent's death unraveled a tangled web of relationships. Michelle was simultaneously engaged to Kent, John, and Scott, all of whom were aware of each other. John had provided significant financial support to Michelle, including a down payment on a house and an engagement ring, while Kent, a former embezzler, also proposed to Michelle, as did Scott, a traveling salesman. The situation was further complicated by their cohabitation and the discovery that Michelle's house was structurally unsound, leading John to offer his home to all of them. Despite the chaotic living arrangements and Kent's increasing paranoia and surveillance of Michelle, he remained devoted to her, even going to remote locations to find her.
Years later, a cold case unit reopened the investigation. New technology allowed for the retrieval of emails that contradicted the stories of the involved parties, revealing heated arguments and conflicting claims of affection. Crucially, John's teenage son came forward, testifying that he saw his father cleaning a gun that matched the murder weapon. John eventually admitted to owning such a gun, claiming he lied to police initially because he didn't want his son's fingerprints on it. Despite these developments, prosecutors faced challenges in proving a direct murder plot, particularly regarding the motive and the missing murder weapon. Ultimately, John and Michelle were indicted but their convictions were overturned on appeal, and John was later murdered in prison. The case remains officially unsolved, with no one held responsible for Kent LePink's death, leaving his family without the justice they sought.