By David Lohr

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February  26, 2007

JANESVILLE, Wis. (Crime Library) —On January 12, 2006 Nicole Lentz, 17, her brother Scott, 14, and her mother Danyetta, 38, were found murdered inside their home.  Last month, the Rock County Sheriff's Department arrested James C. Koepp, 47, for the murders.  According to Sheriff Bob Spoden, Koepp was at the crime scene when the murders occurred, made incriminating statements, and fled from authorities after failing to show up for a voluntary interview.  Spoden also cited Koepp's violent criminal history.

Koepp is listed on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry.  According to the website, he was convicted of four counts of second-degree sexual assault in 1984, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.  He was released in 1993, but his probation was revoked in 1995 because of alcoholism and "unsatisfactory progress toward rehabilitation."  He was sentenced to six more years in prison for those violations. 

Less than a week after Koepp's arrest, Rock County District Attorney David O'Leary refused to charge Koepp in the triple homicide because there was "insufficient evidence to meet the criminal burden of proof."  O'Leary said his decision was founded on "the investigative reports, based upon a discussion with the analyst assigned the case from the State Crime Laboratory and based upon a discussion with Dr. Stier, the pathologist who conducted the autopsies."

Regardless of the DA's decision, Spoden maintains his department did not err in the arrest of Koepp. 

"We have looked at every other rumor and innuendo brought before us," Spoden told The Janesville Gazette last week.  "We continue to see Mr. Koepp as the primary suspect.  We are still very confident in our case and the direction it's moving."

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

No Murder Charges Filed Against James Koepp in Family's Triple Homicide

James C. Koepp Arrested in Wisconsin Triple Homicide

Relative Finds the Bodies of Danyetta Lentz and Her Two Children

Documents:
1986 Appeal
1997 Appeal

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