Stories Of Abused Men In Idaho
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Stories here are reproduced under the Fair Use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use.
Bellevue woman kills ex-husband's fiancé about as easily as killing some cats
Woman arrested for solicitation to murder in Coeur d'Alene
Barbara Dehl, Spirit of Idaho, indicted on kidnapping charges
November 12, 1998, Jerome (States News Service) — A 44-year-old Bellevue woman claims she killed another woman —in her words: "just about as easy as killing some cats."
Andra Jonas told an Idaho judge that her mother, Sandra, killed Meta Jones last month. The 17-year- old daughter pled guilty to being an accessory to the murder by helping her mother get rid of the body. She says her mother shot Jones, decapitated the body, and dumped it into a canal.
The victim was engaged to Sandra Jonas' ex- husband.
© 2004 by Dave Turner, Coeur d'Alene Press
November 5, 2004 — A former Coeur d'Alene woman is being held in the Kootenai County jail without bail pending a court appearance later today on charges she tried to have another woman disfigured or killed.
Coeur d'Alene Police arrested Valerie Hansen Colbert, 47, of Yakima, Wash., about noon Thursday for solicitation of murder.
Police said the woman contacted a 23-year-old Coeur d'Alene man early last month and offered to pay him $2,000 to disfigure a 45-year-old woman.
"The motive appears to be jealousy over an ex-boyfriend," said police spokeswoman Sgt. Christie Wood.
Wood said the intended victim is an acquaintance of Ms. Colbert's.
The man said Ms. Colbert, who he only knew as "Susan," contacted him asking if he wanted a job.
"The male said he did not know how the suspect got his number," Wood said.
The two arranged to meet in an elementary school parking lot last Friday afternoon.
Wood said Colbert told the man she wanted the woman permanently disfigured.
"The male told her he does not do that kind of work," Wood said.
Ms. Colbert then allegedly offered him a finder's fee if he knew anyone who did and gave the man her phone number.
Wood said the man discussed the request with his roommate. They both went to police.
Wood said an undercover detective working with the Kootenai County Joint Drug Task Force contacted Ms. Colbert by telephone and agreed to a meeting at a sports field on Ramsey Road about noon Thursday.
Wood said Colbert told the drug agent who she wanted killed and handed him an envelope with the money and instructions. Within minutes of making the deal, Ms. Colbert was arrested.
Valerie Colbert's only criminal record in Kootenai County is a ticket for illegally passing a school bus in 1999. It's unclear if she has a record in her new hometown of Yakima.
Idaho Code says solicitation carries the same maximum punishment as for an attempted crime, or half the maximum sentence for that crime. Murder is punishable by death or life imprisonment, with a minimum sentence of 10 years.
Dave Turner can be reached at 664-8176, ext. 2009 or at dturner@cdapress.com.
© 2005 KBCI News, Boise
Reproduced under the Fair Use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use.
April 28, 2005, Boise (AP)
— The Nampa mother who worked to change Idaho law when her daughter died in a [purported] domestic violence incident has been indicted on kidnapping charges.
The indictment of Barbara Dehl eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing and sends the case directly to Fourth District Court.
Dehl, her live-in-boyfriend Larry Dwight Hanslovan and Ronald Huntsman all were indicted in the closed grand jury hearing and await arraignment.
Police say Dehl and the two men kidnapped a young couple and interrogated them at gunpoint to determine if they stole drugs and money from Dehl's home. Police say they eventually let the couple go and focused on 22-year-old John Albert Schmeichel. His body was found last March in a shallow grave in the southwestern Idaho desert.
Police say he was shot and killed in Dehl's SUV.
Huntsman is charged with first-degree murder.
© 2005 Idaho Press-Tribune
Reproduced under the Fair Use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use.
April 6, 2005 — How is it that former Spirit of Idaho recipient Barbara Dehl is behind bars today following charges of murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking? It's a tragic turn of events for someone not so long ago portrayed as a martyr by you and the Idaho Press-Tribune. It's sad that our family has had to wait until now to tell our side of the story, with anger and hate pent up in each of us hoping that one day the truth would be made evident.
She led many to believe that her daughter, Cassie, had been in an abusive relationship with my brother, Justin Neuendorf, enlisting many, including you, to help fight her emotional cause and bring an already aching family to its knees. We read the slanderous lies you printed, we heard the damaging accusations she bellowed from the steps of the Capitol, we cringed at the sight of her on "The Montel Williams Show" and stood in disbelief as this story made its way across the nation. Daily, we wondered aloud if anyone would ever know the type of person they chose to stand behind.
Well, today, you know exactly what many people tried to tell you all along. Barbara wasn't exactly who you all made her out to be. More importantly, the truth bears little resemblance to the story you let it become. Sadly, you flouted all rules of responsible journalism when you let Dehl skew reality and shape a tragic accident into a delusional lie.
Certainly, her story made for good reading and perhaps in your effort to gain readership or scoop your competitors, you leveraged her and this fictional story to the extent that you never truly captured the real story.
There was no truth behind any of that which she led you to believe. First, there was no evidence of any domestic violence occurring during the time that Justin and Cassie were dating. Second, my brother did not leave her to die that day his truck rolled to the bottom of a ravine. She died tragically in his arms that night, a result of a crushed aorta, and he then led his friend to safety so he would not perish as well.
What you would have discovered had you exercised due diligence as journalists was that Barbara was never the role model mother she wanted you to believe.
With her child gone, Dehl tried to make good on her inadequacies as a mother and rallied the support of those she knew could cut the deepest wound and fabricate a truly gripping tale.
The only element missing was truth. I, along with the rest of our family, very much resent the negative picture that has been painted of Justin, and the utter failure of most so-called "journalists" to check out both sides of the story. The grievous assassination of this young man's character in the media was uncalled for, and the facts of the situation were blurred by accusations and conjecture hatefully spewed by those that should have been most diligent in honoring Cassie's memory.
But now the real truth about who Barbara Dehl is has finally come out for those too shallow to ever have wanted to discover it in the first place. Today, the Neuendorf family, along with the friends and loved ones who stood together with us during this time, feel vindicated and relieved that, despite the loss of someone's life and the kidnappings, the truth can be told.
This is the first response our family has been able to print since that tragic day in December 1999. For years, we have wanted to speak out and tell our story but not many would listen, but now maybe they will. Now maybe they will check a source and not be manipulated by the emotional saga which she led many to believe. We have wanted to tell our story many times, but death threats, political agendas and possible legal actions have kept us silent.
Perhaps more than anything, Dehl's arrest can help us move on from Cassie's tragic death. Not a day goes by that my brother doesn't suffer as a result of that accident. He made the difficult choice to honor her memory by going on. His wounds run deep as do the wounds suffered by our family.
Sweet justice comes in knowing that this manipulative woman is now behind bars and those that helped propagate her lies now can see the error of their ways.
© 2005 Idaho Press-Tribune
Reproduced under the Fair Use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use.
For six years, my family has been drug through the mud by almost every politician, newspaper and TV station in Idaho along with numerous magazines and national television talk shows concerning the death of Cassie Dehl, the deceased fiancée of my brother, Justin Neuendorf.
The local and national press, along with the politicians, have spun the story so many directions without checking facts that the whole tragic accident has been skewed by speculation and accusations of domestic violence. There is absolutely no evidence other than one suspicious letter that gives any insight into alleged domestic violence between Justin and Cassie. Nonetheless, the media and politicians have used a tragic event for their personal gains.
What really happened that night rests with the three people involved in the accident. What we do know is that Cassie was never left to die. She died in a matter of minutes from a crushed aorta.
For years, my family and friends have had to suffer through the nonsense that was reported. We received numerous death threats because the media portrayed my brother as a murderer. Rather, he was one of three people involved in a horrific accident that led to the death of his future wife.
Our phone number had to be changed and unlisted. We lived with guns at every door, wondering when someone would act on a threat.
Now you know why we were so nervous. We knew exactly who we were dealing with, but you could not see through the immediate opportunity that was created for you. You took her story as gospel and neglected to check into a single fact.
In the past few articles about Barbara Dehl's arrest on felony drug trafficking and kidnapping charges, you have continued to fail to look into the depth of this case. People are hurt because they feel they have now lost a voice on domestic violence. Don't look at this as "losing a voice," but as a lesson on whose voice we listen to.
Cassie's death was in no way related to domestic violence, yet Cassie's Law is all about teens in violent dating relationships. Many have expressed sorrow for Dehl, saying that she may have turned to meth because of grief. Give me a break! A pipe and a small bag of pot maybe, but 4 pounds of methamphetamines? Can any of us really see that as a method of grieving? Let's not forget to ask where Cassie's "mom" was while she was growing up.
Let this be a lesson on handing out awards to impress constituents. Sen. Mike Crapo, if you believe that Barbara Dehl represents the "Spirit of Idaho" then I am ashamed to have you representing us.
The fine policemen of the Treasure Valley deserve a big thanks. You have finally allowed the truth to come out, and although many are still blinded and in disbelief, you have allowed my family to finally have a word. This is the first response our family has been able to print since that tragic day in December 1999.
For years we have wanted to speak out and tell our story but many would not listen. Now maybe they will. Now maybe they will check a source or find another side of the story. We have wanted to tell ours for years but death threats, political agendas and possible legal action has kept us silent.
Thanks to our friends who have shown support for my family. We, too, have suffered a terrible loss and it has been a very difficult time for my family, especially my brother. Your support and encouragement have helped him to stay with us and for that I can never say enough.
Finally, please stop using a beautiful young girl's death to further your own agendas. She is missed by many, especially my family who loved her like a daughter. Can we please let her finally rest in peace?
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