Man killed his wife and then microwaved their beloved dog to death
An "evil" Los Angeles man microwaved his Pomeranian to death and stabbed his wife until she bled out, locking her body in a room before fleeing the scene of his horrifying crime.
John Levin, 47-year-old from Glendale, was sentenced to serve 16 years to life in prison for killing his wife and dog in two brutal acts of cruelty in 2009. Jurors found Levin guilty of second-degree murder for killing his 35-year-old wife, Michelle Levin, after he pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty for microwaving his dog in 2013.
Officers said they found the home littered with dog excrement, rotting food and pills scattered on a table when they testified in a preliminary hearing.
"I am told that it is a sin to not forgive and to harbor vengeance in your heart," Michelle Levin's father, Frank Raymie, told Levin in a Pasadena courtroom. "If that be true, then I will die a sinful man. I want you to spend a long time in jail."
"You are evil," Michelle's friend, Tracey Naranjo, told Levin in court.Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Janice Croft also sentenced Levin to eight months in prison for an animal cruelty charge, and ordered Levin to be placed on parole for life after serving his prison sentence.
After stabbing Michelle and killing her dog the 47-year-old attempted to flee the scene before he was arrested trying to cross the Canadian border days after the body of his wife and the Pomeranian's remains were found in their shared flat in North Glendale, Los Angeles.
Michelle's body was found with stab wounds and had been locked in a second-floor bedroom. It had been there for three days before Levin was caught on the border.
Levin's attorney, deputy public defender Katherine Nicole Bonaguidi, told Croft that he was addicted to the pain medication Soma and was under the influence of the drug during the horrifying killings.
She added that Levin had no criminal history prior to his drug addiction and that he worked for eight years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Montrose Search and Rescue Team.
Croft dismissed claims Levin may have been under the influence of the muscle relaxant when he killed his wife and dog. "He wanted to move on with his life," she said of him leaving his dying wife. "He knew exactly what he was doing."
Deputy District Attorney Debra Archuleta requested $5,136 in restitution for the state's victim compensation program, and the funeral costs for Michelle Levin.
Michelle's father told the court that he would never forgive the man for what he did to his daughter adding that Levin tore apart his family. "I want you to have a long sentence," her father said. "You sentenced my daughter to death."
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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man killed his wife and then microwaved their beloved dog to death
An "evil" Los Angeles man microwaved his Pomeranian to death and stabbed his wife until she bled out, locking her body in a room before fleeing the scene of his horrifying crime. John Levin, 47-year-old from Glendale, was sentenced to serve 16 years to life in prison for killing his wife and dog in two brutal acts of cruelty in 2009. Jurors found Levin guilty of second-degree murder for killing his 35-year-old wife, Michelle Levin, after he pleaded guilty to felony animal cruelty for microwaving his dog in 2013. Officers said they found the home littered with dog excrement, rotting food and pills scattered on a table when they testified in a preliminary hearing. "I am told that it is a sin to not forgive and to harbor vengeance in your heart," Michelle Levin's father, Frank Raymie, told Levin in a Pasadena courtroom. "If that be true, then I will die a sinful man. I want you to spend a long time in jail." "You are evil," Michelle's friend, Tracey Naranjo, told Levin in Angeles County Superior Court Judge Janice Croft also sentenced Levin to eight months in prison for an animal cruelty charge, and ordered Levin to be placed on parole for life after serving his prison sentence. After stabbing Michelle and killing her dog the 47-year-old attempted to flee the scene before he was arrested trying to cross the Canadian border days after the body of his wife and the Pomeranian's remains were found in their shared flat in North Glendale, Los Angeles. Michelle's body was found with stab wounds and had been locked in a second-floor bedroom. It had been there for three days before Levin was caught on the border. Levin's attorney, deputy public defender Katherine Nicole Bonaguidi, told Croft that he was addicted to the pain medication Soma and was under the influence of the drug during the horrifying killings. She added that Levin had no criminal history prior to his drug addiction and that he worked for eight years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Montrose Search and Rescue Team. Croft dismissed claims Levin may have been under the influence of the muscle relaxant when he killed his wife and dog. "He wanted to move on with his life," she said of him leaving his dying wife. "He knew exactly what he was doing." Deputy District Attorney Debra Archuleta requested $5,136 in restitution for the state's victim compensation program, and the funeral costs for Michelle Levin. Michelle's father told the court that he would never forgive the man for what he did to his daughter adding that Levin tore apart his family. "I want you to have a long sentence," her father said. "You sentenced my daughter to death."
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to be lifted in late June as debris is found
Tech tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken superyachtis set to be lifted from the seabed in late June, the salvage team says, after debris from the boat was recovered. Maritime and investigatory authorities in Sicily approved the final recovery plan following surveys of the seabed and wreck. The stern section of the Bayesian will be temporarily lifted using Hebo Lift 10 — one of Europe's most powerful sea cranes — allowing crews to attach the straps needed to raise the entire yacht later this month. It was originally expected to be raised last month, but salvage efforts were delayed after a diver died during underwater work on May 9, prompting greater use of remote-controlled equipment. The sea crane Hebo Lift 10 which will be used in the recovery operation to retrieve the vessel (TMC Marine/PA) To lift the 56-metre (184ft) vessel, eight steel straps will be attached beneath it, with four messenger lines already fed under the front. The 72-metre mast will be removed using precision cutting tools, and the yacht will be rolled upright and lifted using a custom steel cable system. A full underwater survey around the wreck using remote-operated equipment found 17 possible pieces of debris, including a life raft casing and deck furniture, which have been recovered and brought to nearby Termini Imerese – a town where Italian prosecutors investigating the sinking are based. Marcus Cave of British firm TMC Marine, which is overseeing the salvage efforts, said: 'Following detailed engineering assessment and discussions with the authorities, the works on site are now progressing towards the recovery of the wreck. 'The salvage teams will now hopefully be able to make more systematic progress in preparations for the ultimate safe recovery of Bayesian, whilst ensuring that the safety of those working on this very complex lifting and recovery operation and environmental protection continue to be prioritised.' Billionaire Mr Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among seven people who died when the Bayesian sank off the coast of the Italian island on August 19. Hannah and Mike Lynch (Family Handout/PA) About 70 specialist personnel had been mobilised to the fishing village of Porticello from across Europe to work on the recovery operation, which began last month. Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as well as Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy Bloomer, 71, who were all British nationals. Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) investigators said in an interim report that the Bayesian was knocked over by 'extreme wind'. The yacht had a vulnerability to winds, but the owner and crew would not have known, the report said. The others who died in the sinking were US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo, and Canadian-Antiguan national Recaldo Thomas, who was working as a chef on the vessel. Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares, were rescued. Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London, and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent. The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011. The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.
Irish Examiner
06-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Author interview: Fighting past the pain barrier to deliver a riveting mystery
I was keen to talk to Michelle McDonagh about her third novel — and not just because it's a great read. I've been thinking about her recently, because her first crime drama, published in 2020, centred on a murder suicide taking place on a farm — and the deaths occurred in the farm's slurry tank. With the tragic case of Mike Gaine currently in the news, Michelle is getting goosebumps. 'I wrote that after I'd heard of the tragic case of the Spence family in the North,' she tells me over Zoom. 'That was in 2012, where a father and two sons went into the tank after a dog, and the sister was the only one who survived. 'I remember being so horrified by it that it always stuck in my head.' Her first two novels were set in Galway, the county Michelle comes from, but she's switched to Co Cork for this third novel, and centres the story in Blarney — where she's lived for the past 18 years. But there's a Boston link too — and that city was Michelle's starting point. I've always wanted Boston to come into a book because I went there on a leave of absence. 'I worked for The Irish Voice which had just opened an office there,' she says, 'but came back after a few months because I'd fallen in love with a crazy Galway man.' She's speaking of her husband, Greg: 'I had to go halfway round the world to meet him, but it was a brilliant summer.' The book starts when an American tourist is found dead in Blarney. She's identified as Jessie De Marco, who travelled from Boston looking for the father she's never known. She's been searching via social media, and is found on the grounds of Blarney Castle. 'Rock close, where its set — and the Wishing Steps are so atmospheric,' says Michelle. 'The rocks go back to Druid times — and are 2,000 or 3,000 years old. 'It even smells ancient, and there's a rock shaped like a witch's profile. It's an incredible place. 'I was standing at the steps one day, and I thought, the American tourist could be found at the bottom of the steps.' A crime technician told me that a fall is the hardest murder to prove. 'I didn't know what had happened at the outset, or until I had my plot.' Hearing of the death, Jessie's estranged mum Dani arrives to identify her daughter's body. She recognises a respected local, Tadgh, claiming he's the father Jessie came to find. Convinced someone killed Jessie, she starts a media-fuelled frenzy of an investigation, which sees everyone taking sides. As the plot weaves and twists, it appears that there are many people who might conceivably have caused the girl's death — certainly they have something to hide. The plot covers many issues: Grooming; childhood trauma; good and bad mothers; how far would you go to protect your child? Which was the most important to Michelle? 'It's in the title, Some of This is True,' says Michelle. 'It's about who is telling the truth here and what is the truth? 'Your memory can change your perception of what actually did happen; did that person mean what they said? Dani and Tadgh have different versions of events, but they both start to question their versions. Could Tadgh have done something that Dani misconstrues?' Switching from journalism to being an author A former journalist with the Connacht Tribune, then The Irish Times, Michelle started writing her debut during a Faber course she took in lockdown. How did she find the switch from journalism to author? 'Writing a novel is totally different,' she says. 'Before I sent my first book out, I got a UK editor to look at it, and she said: 'When you're writing, leave your journalist outside the room, and when you're editing, let the journalist come back.' 'When you're writing a news piece, you want to get as much information and facts into it as you can, and I was going down all these rabbit holes, and dumping all the information in. 'She said:'No! People don't want to read all that stuff. They want to know what happens next.'' Although Michelle plots quite thoroughly and has photos of her setting pinned around her office walls as she types — she doesn't stick rigidly to it. 'The plot changes along the way, and changes further when I get my editorial notes,' she says. 'Pacing is always an issue. I'm too slow at the beginning and put everything into the end. 'It's a matter of moving things around and bringing some things up to the front. 'I usually cry for a week when I get the notes, and think, I can never do this! But when you start, it is never as bad.' For the record, Some of This is True is perfectly paced. I, literally, could not put the book down. I loved the complete picture of a contemporary small town that Michelle presents; we see the hero-worship afforded to GAA coaches and stars; we're shown right-wing protestors and social media trolling. It's a heady mix. Michelle says she's nervous about this book, and not just because it's the first she's set outside Galway. She's suffered from chronic pain for the past six years, and recently it's been particularly severe. I was in so much pain writing this book, that I missed my deadline and had to ask for an extension. 'That's the last thing you want, as a journalist,' she says. 'I've seen nearly 20 consultants across a range of specialities. 'I've had numerous surgeries and bits removed, and nobody has been able to find a cause for the pain. It's constant. Painkillers don't work. I can't sleep. 'I'm so drained that I can't stand, and sitting is agony. My GP said all he could suggest was CBT [cognitive behavioural therapy], and that I learn to live with it.' Recently, Michelle met a brilliant physiotherapist, who, diagnosing 'The Hidden Prankster' — a problem with a deep-seated muscle — believes he can help her regain equilibrium. He has started working with her, and she feels a great sense of hope. As well as this, Michelle suffers from anxiety — a condition she passes on to a character in each of her books. How does she gain a semblance of calm? 'It's simple things,' she says. 'It's reading. It's being around my family [Michelle has three children, Lucy, Jake, and Kiana]. 'It's being around my dog, Brody, and my daughters have a pony stabled on a nearby farm. Sitting there, surrounded by nature is sustaining. Female friends are massive, and my sister is my best friend. 'I do a podcast, Natter, with Kate Durant. She energises me. She's the glass half full, and I never got the glass in the first place.' Michelle McDonagh hosts the 'Natter' podcast with Kate Durrant: 'She energises me. She's the glass half full, and I never got the glass in the first place.' Three books in, is being a published author all Michelle believed it would be? 'When you dream about something for so long, you think, when you've got it, you will be a different person,' she says. 'You'll never have anxiety or low mood, but you're the same person. My dream was to go into a bookshop and see my book on the shelf. 'I can do that now. My name is there, but its surreal. It doesn't even feel like it's me.' The best part, she says, is meeting other authors: 'And particularly crime writers. We have a WhatsApp group, and from the beginning, they've been so welcoming. 'And it's not just crime writers. I've grown up reading people like Patricia Scanlan and Sheila O'Flanagan, and amazing writers like that have reached out the hand, and said: 'Come on in. Join our group.''
