Prison inmate Carlin beaten to death, troopers say

INVESTIGATION: Several suspects in fatal attack have been identified. By _MEGAN HOLLAND_ (http://www.adn. com/contact/ mholland/ index.html) _mholland@adn. com_ (mailto:mholland@adn. com) Published: October 31st, 2008 03:59 AM Last Modified: October 31st, 2008 08:18 AM

John Carlin, serving time for a sensational Alaska murder, was beaten to death in prison, Alaska State Troopers said Thursday.

Carlin, 51, died of blunt force trauma, according to autopsy results. Troopers said they have identified several prisoners as suspects in the homicide, which took place at the state's largest prison on Monday night, but they are releasing little information about what happened. "In this case we have time on our side as all the people involved are already incarcerated, " wrote trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters in an e-mail late Wednesday night.

Investigators are looking into whether the prisoner or prisoners involved in an attack on Carlin in mid-September had anything to do with his death, Peters said. Carlin wrote to a reporter in mid-October that he was beaten after a rerun of the CBS show "48 Hours" in which he was featured. "... some people here didn't like the way I looked, so I got a prison makeover of sorts," he wrote. Troopers were called to Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, Peters said. Carlin was taken to the local hospital, where he was declared dead.

About 60 convicts were in Carlin's prison "mod" unit -- made up of two-man cells and a common area -- when he was attacked. Troopers and prison officials won't say if prisoners were locked in their cells when the beating occurred. Inmates are typically restricted to their rooms after a certain hour at night.

Since the killing, the entire prison has been in "lockdown," meaning all prisoners have been confined to their cells, said department spokesman Richard Schmitz. Lockdown will continue until troopers have finished with their investigation, he said.

'A CODE OF SILENCE'

Criminal investigations in a prison are fraught with difficulties, trooper spokeswoman Peters said. "You face a huge anti-police mentality. ... Sometimes finding viable witnesses is a challenge. There's a code of silence among the prisoners."

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But investigators have on their side that all witnesses, evidence and potential suspects are in a enclosed space, she said. Department of Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt traveled to the Seward prison Wednesday. He said he is letting troopers investigate and that he plans "to be honest about whatever is found." Another prison administrator, Garland Armstrong, and department lawyer, John Bodick, went to the prison Thursday, Schmitz said. They are debriefing and talking with staff, he said.

Carlin's death is the second recent homicide in an Alaska prison. The first was also at Spring Creek, in 2004.

A SON'S SORROW

A jury last year convicted Carlin in the 1996 murder of Kent Leppink, a 36-year-old commercial fisherman. Carlin had steadfastly maintained his innocence, and he had an appeal of his conviction pending. Leppink was a guest in Carlin's South Anchorage home at the time of his death. According to trial testimony, both men wanted another houseguest, Mechele Linehan, a 23-year-old stripper, to be their girlfriend.

Prosecutors say Linehan and Carlin conspired to kill Leppink, believing incorrectly that she would inherit a $1 million life insurance payout. Linehan was also convicted of the murder last year and is serving a 99-year sentence at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River. She has also appealed her conviction.

Carlin's son, John Carlin IV, whose testimony about his father washing a handgun after Leppink died was key evidence in the convictions, said in a written statement: "Grief, sorrow, guilt and rage flow through my body in an attempt to accept this injustice. I'm still in so much shock that I can't fully articulate all the hurt that I'm feeling over the loss of this good man." Carlin IV said he believes his father was innocent and he will continue to work to clear his name.

____________ _________ _________ ______ Find Megan Holland online at _adn.com/contact/ mholland_ (http://adn.com/ contact/mholland) or call 257-4343.