Wife of convicted killer says he ‘had nothing to do’ with Idaho student murders
The wife of a convicted killer in Idaho says he had nothing to do with the murders of four college students there — despite what internet sleuths are claiming.
James Curtis Leonard’s name has popped up on online forums and YouTube as amateur detectives attempt to solve the mysterious case, in which four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death at home in Moscow last month.
But Leonard — who was found guilty of manslaughter after shooting dead a man outside his home in Genesee in 2007 — “had nothing to do” with the slayings, his wife insisted to the Daily Mail.
“There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on, but my husband had nothing to do with what happened up there,” she told the outlet.
“People on the internet are trying to pin the murders on him,” she said. “I had to get off that social media s—t.”
Police have said Leonard, 39, is not connected to the student slayings.
His wife — who wasn’t named in the report — said she has reported being harassed over the allegations from amateur sleuths.
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“I told police that we are tired of all the threats, harassment and allegations,” she told the Mail. “Our family has been in danger because of all these false statements being made on the internet.”
The woman defended her hubby even after his arrest last week for allegedly beating her and stalking her, the Mail said. Leonard is being held on $100,000 bail for his alleged tirade on Tuesday.
His wife said Leonard — who claimed he acted in self-defense in the 2007 case — was home with her when Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, according to the Mail.
The couple lives in a trailer park about a mile from the scene of the murder.
His past crimes are “not linked at all” to the quadruple slaying, Leonard’s wife told the outlet. “This is really pissing me off.”
Nearly a month after the four students were killed, police have yet to name a suspect or even a profile of the killer, which has fueled online speculation.
Amateur detectives have become so intense that local police threatened to charge some with harassment if they continue.