Opinion ID: 1660471
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Stovall Plan

Text: ¶ 9. In a search of Leedom's home during the investigation, life insurance policies were also found on Robert Stovall, who is unrelated to Leedom by blood or marriage and was unaware of the insurance polices on his life. The following items were seized in the search: 1. An insurance policy from Kansas City Life Insurance Company, dated November 13, 1995, on the life of Robert Stovall in the amount of $250,000 with Leedom named as the secondary beneficiary. 2. An insurance policy on the life of Robert Stovall in the amount of $200,000 with Leedom as the primary beneficiary and her husband, as the secondary beneficiary. 3. An application for life insurance on the life of Stovall in the amount of $200,000 along with an accidental death rider. Melanie Wright's signature, the defendant's daughter, appears as owner and beneficiary. 4. An identification card with a picture of Charles Wayne Dunn appearing over the printed name of Stovall along with the defendant's address. 5. Two wills purporting to be those of Lula Young. One dated, October 7, 1994, the other not dated. 6. An insurance identity card in the name of Stovall. 7. An invoice reflecting the sale of a 1995 Nissan to Melanie Wright and Stovall, and an installment sales contract, bearing the date of August 4, 1995 with these names appearing as purchasers. 8. An application for credit life insurance and disability insurance for Melanie Wright and Stovall dated August 4, 1995. 9. Three typewriters. 10. Three checkbooks from total control accounts from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company indicating Leedom as owner of two policies and her husband, the other. ¶ 10. An insurance agent, who had taken out a policy on Young for Leedom, testified that she had inquired about a policy she wished to take out on Robert Stovall and made an application for a $200,000 policy. The application listed Melanie Wright, Leedom's daughter, as beneficiary and the sister of Stovall. The application was never processed, however, because the company required that agents meet the proposed insured, and no such meeting was ever arranged for Stovall. ¶ 11. Another agent, Thomas Cooper, for Kansas City Life Insurance, testified that he also met with Leedom to issue a policy on Robert Stovall, who was listed this time on the application as Leedom's son-in-law. The face value of this policy was $250,000 with an additional $200,000 accidental death rider. Leedom was listed as the contingent beneficiary and her address as Stovall's address. Agent Cooper also testified that he was introduced to a person said to be Robert Stovall, but could not identify the real Stovall in court as the person he met. ¶ 12. When asked at trial about Stovall, Dunn testified that after Young's death Leedom approached him with a request that he kill Stovall. She did not give a reason for wanting him killed, he said, but offered him $10,000 to commit the murder, and he agreed. He then obtained a fraudulent identification card with Stovall's name and his (Dunn's) photograph. With money given to him by the defendant, he purchased a 1979 Toyota Celica to be used in a car wreck with Stovall and testified that the defendant took him to Stovall's hometown to commit the murder. ¶ 13. In March of 1997, Leedom was indicted in federal and state courts on multiple counts. The State elected to try Leedom for the conspiracy to commit capital murder and the capital murder of Young and prior to trial, moved to amend the indictment to charge Leedom as a habitual offender. The jury found the defendant guilty of conspiracy and murder and sentenced her to life without parole and twenty (20) years respectively. Aggrieved, Leedom appeals the convictions, assigning several errors.