Koepp appeal denied
MADISON — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday announced it would not hear the appeal of James Clifford Koepp, convicted Feb. 20, 2010 of the Jan. 11, 2007 murder of Danyetta Lentz and her teenage children, Nicole and Scott Lentz, in their Rock township mobile home.
The coroner determined that the victims died of strangulation with a necktie and sharp force injuries from two steak knives. No male DNA was found on the murder weapons.
During the trial, Rock County Circuit Court Judge Alan Bates precluded Koepp from offering a defense that an unknown male might have committed the crimes after evidentiary hearings on whether to allow testimony about the unknown male.
Koepp’s appeal to the Court of Appeals claimed Bates erred when he barred Koepp from presenting testimony regarding an unknown male.
“We are not persuaded that Koepp’s offers of proof established a legitimate tendency to believe that a third party committed the homicides,” the District 4 Court of Appeals ruled.
“We conclude that the evidentiary ruling did not deprive Koepp of a fair trial.”
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