Opinion ID: 1660471
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Conspiracy to the Commit Capital Murder of Lula Young

Text: ¶ 4. Linda Leedom met Charles Wayne Dunn shortly after moving in with her daughter and son-in-law in December of 1993. At trial, Dunn testified Leedom approached him with the idea to kill Young, explaining that Young was her best friend and was dying of cancer. Leedom said Young asked her to kill her, but she did not have the heart to do it so she offered Dunn $5,000 to do it for her. He agreed. To kill Young, Dunn said he suggested they use an electrical heater to start a fire and purchased the heater with funds given to him by Leedom. He could not recall, however, who purchased the propane tank. Another witness, however, testified that on the day of the incident, Leedom said she purchased a grill for her daughter and son-in-law for Christmas and stored the propane tank in Young's home. ¶ 5. On the night before the fire, Dunn parked his car in Young's driveway and entered the house. He retrieved the heater from his truck, crushed some newspaper nearby, opened the valve on the propane tank, turned on the heater, and left the house. He testified the next day he went to Leedom's home and collected $1,000 from her with the balance to be paid in smaller amounts over time. A confidential informant later told the police that Dunn had been talking about the fire. The police picked him up for questioning, and he confessed to the murder and to conspiring with Leedom. ¶ 6. In a search of Leedom's home in March of 1997, two life insurance policies on Young's life in the amounts of $75,000 and $500,000, designating Leedom as the primary beneficiary, were discovered along with a third policy designating Leedom's husband as the beneficiary in the amount of $200,000. A partnership agreement was also discovered between Leedom and Young with a power of attorney granted to Leedom from Young. ¶ 7. At trial, insurance agents testified Leedom made inquiries in 1992 about making a claim on her sister's insurance, whom she said was Lula Young. Leedom listed herself as the owner of the $75,000 policy and her address as Young's address. One insurance agent, Greg Paylor, testified that he even saw a family tree displayed openly at Leedom's home depicting Young as her sister. Another agent testified that Leedom made a request for an additional $200,000 policy and when he went to Leedom's home to issue the policy, Leedom introduced herself as Lula Young. On this policy, Gary Leedom, the defendant's husband, was listed as Young's brother-in-law and Linda Leedom as her sister. ¶ 8. A third agent, Brenda Driver, with Nationwide Insurance was contacted by Leedom to write an insurance policy and a buy/sell agreement for she and her sister and business partner, Lula Young. When Agent Driver arrived at the Leedom's home, Leedom introduced herself as Lula Young, and this time named Linda Leedom as the beneficiary and the sister of the proposed insured, Young. Driver then wrote a policy for $500,000 for Young along with a $200,000 accidental death rider. Leedom signed the application as Lula Young. Later, Agent Driver heard that Young was killed in a fire and attempted to call Young. Leedom answered the phone and announced that her sister had died. Driver later saw the person she knew as Lula Young, however, at a local Wal-Mart. She immediately informed her superiors and the authorities.