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 claim.
The name of James Curtis Leonard has appeared on online forums and on YouTube as amateur sleuths attempt to solve the mysterious case, in which four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death in their Moscow home last month.
But Leonard – who was convicted of manslaughter after he shot a man outside his Genesee home in 2007 – “had nothing to do” with the murders, his wife has insisted to the Daily Mail.
“There are a lot of crazy things 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 attribute the murders to him,” she said. “I had to quit social media.”
Police said Leonard, 39, was not linked to the student murders.
His wife – who was not named in the report – said she said she was harassed because of the amateur sleuths’ allegations.
“I told the police that we were fed up with all the threats, harassment and allegations,” she told the Mail. “Our family has been in danger because of all these false claims made on the internet.”
The woman stood up for her husband even after he was arrested last week for allegedly beating and harassing her, the Mail said. Leonard is being held behind bars on $100,000 bond for his alleged tirade on Tuesday.
His wife said Leonard – who claimed he acted in self-defense in the 2007 case – was at home with her when Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin , 20, were killed early in the morning. hours of November 13, according to the Mail.
The couple live in a trailer park about a mile from the murder scene.
His past crimes are “not related at all” to the quadruple murder, Leonard’s wife told the outlet. “That really pisses me off.”
Nearly a month after the deaths of four students, police have yet to name a suspect or even a profile of the killer, fueling online speculation.
The amateur sleuthing became so intense that local police threatened to charge some with harassment if they continued.