John Carlin was a man living in Anchorage, Alaska, in the mid‑1990s. Not much is publicly available about his early life or background prior to 1996, but he came into prominence due to a turbulent and complex relationship involving a man named Kent Leppink and a woman named Mechele Linehan. Both Carlin and Leppink were romantically involved with Linehan, and for a period, the three shared a residence in Anchorage, creating an unstable environment marked by tension and rivalry.

On May 2, 1996, Kent Leppink, a 36‑year‑old fisherman from Michigan, was found dead in Hope, Alaska, shot three times with a .44 caliber Desert Eagle. At the time, Leppink was romantically involved with Mechele Linehan, a dancer he met at a local strip club, and John Carlin was one of the people sharing a home with the couple. According to authorities, Linehan was named beneficiary of Leppink’s $1 million life insurance policy, making her a person of interest in the investigation. Leppink changed this beneficiary designation just days before he was murdered.

More than a decade later, authorities charged both Linehan and Carlin with conspiring to kill Leppink. In April 2007, Carlin was convicted of murder. In October of that year, Linehan was also convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison. However, both convictions were overturned in the years that followed. The Alaska Court of Appeals ruled in February 2010 that improper evidence had been introduced at the trials — namely Leppink’s posthumously written letter and testimony about the movie The Last Seduction, which prejudiced the jury.

While Linehan was granted bail and ultimately released, John Carlin’s case took a tragic turn. In October 2008, he was found bludgeoned to death in his prison cell at the Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska. His conviction was overturned posthumously on January 21, 2015, allowing his estate to continue the appeal.

Although both convictions were overturned, the case left a long trail of questions and controversy. In December 2011, the murder indictment against Linehan was formally dismissed, and in August 2012, Alaska announced that it would not pursue a new trial.