IS MECHELE LINEHAN A CONNIVING EX-STRIPPER WHO SHOULD BE IN JAIL FOR MURDER, OR WAS SHE UNFAIRLY TARGETED BY POLICE BECAUSE OF A PAST LIFE?

"48 HOURS PRESENTS: LOVE AND DEATH IN ALASKA"

Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015 - 9:00 PM, ET/PT

Depending on who is talking, Mechele Linehan is either a conniving ex-stripper who should be in jail for having a hand in the murder of her boyfriend in 1996, or an upstanding, church-going, married mother who was unfairly targeted by investigators because of her former line of work.

What is known for sure, however, is Linehan is at the heart of a twisted, tangled case of love, greed, sex and murder featured in an updated, two-hour encore of 48 HOURS PRESENTS: "Love and Death in Alaska" to be broadcast Saturday, Dec. 26 (9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Since 2008, Susan Spencer and 48 HOURS have been reporting on the 1996 murder of Kent Leppink, who was shot three times. At the time, Leppink dated Mechele Linehan, then Mechele Hughes, who, unbeknownst to him, was also dating two other men - Scott Hilke and John Carlin. Investigators looked at Hughes and the two others as possible suspects. Indeed, in a letter left behind to his parents to be opened at the time of his death, Leppink wrote if something happened to him, Hughes, Hilke and Carlin "probably killed me."

"Mechele is a lethal chameleon. She's a conniving witch," said Detective Linda Branchflower.

"A witch I might be... but a psychopath, clearly I'm not," Linehan told Spencer.

There was no physical or DNA evidence tying any of the suspects to the murder and the case went cold. Hughes moved to Washington state, married a doctor and became a mother. A dozen years later, Linehan and Carlin were arrested and convicted of murder. They were sentenced to 99 years in prison.

The strange case of love and murder still wasn't over. Carlin, who maintained his innocence throughout, was killed in a prison fight. In a twist, at the time he was killed, Carlin's case was under appeal, meaning his case was wiped from the system and Linehan's case was tossed out as well.

Will Mechele Linehan remain a free woman or, against the odds, will she be tried again?

48 HOURS PRESENTS: "Love and Death in Alaska" is produced by Josh Yager and Mark Smith. Linda Martin is the update producer. Michael Vele, Michael McHugh, Bob Orozovich, Jud Johnston, George Baluzy, Alan Miller and Mike Mongulla are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.

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