Blake Leibel

Blake Leibel (born 8 May 1981) is a Canadian convicted murderer. He had previously been a comic book creator, graphic novelist, screenwriter, and a fledgling animated film director, residing in Los Angeles, California. In June 2018, Leibel was convicted of first-degree murder of his fiancée, Iana Kasian.[1][2]

Blake Leibel
Born (1981-05-08) May 8, 1981
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationComic book creator, screenwriter, graphic novelist
Known forTorture and murder of fiancée Iana Kasian
Notable work
• Spaceballs: The Animated Series (director, 2 episodes)
• Syndrome (graphic novel)
Spouse(s)Amanda Braun (2004-2015)
Partner(s)Iana Kasian (engaged)
(2015–2016, her death)
Children3
Parent(s)Lorne Leibel, Eleanor Chitel Leibel
RelativesStanley Leibel (grandfather), Cody Leibel (brother)

Family background

Blake Leibel was born to two notable Canadian families. His father, Lorne Leibel, is of Jewish descent and is a prominent Toronto real estate mogul and Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee[3] who sailed for Canada in the 1976 Summer Olympics.[4] His mother was Alros Products heiress Eleanor Chitel Leibel,[5] whose father, Paul Chitel, held several patents.[6] He has a brother named Cody.[7]

The source of his family's fortune comes from his grandfather, Stanley Leibel, who sailed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, then developed thousands of homes in the Toronto area with his sons, Lorne and Cory. Leibel's paternal aunt is Canadian journalist Terry Leibel, host of the CBC's Olympic coverage for the 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2006 Games.[8]

Torture and murder of Iana Kasian

After barricading himself in his West Hollywood apartment; on May 26, 2016, Leibel was taken into police custody following their discovery of the corpse of his fiancée, 30-year-old Ukrainian former tax office prosecutor and fledgling model Iana Kasian, mutilated, drained of blood, and lying in their bed. Their infant daughter was in the care of Iana's mother, who was visiting from Ukraine, and staying in a nearby apartment. Leibel was subsequently charged with murder, torture, mayhem, and aggravated mayhem, to which he pleaded not guilty.[1]

An autopsy report was released on September 20, 2017, listing Kasian's causes of death as exsanguination and head trauma.[9]

A civil lawsuit filed by the victim's mother, Olga Kasian, included transcripts of Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. James Ribe's deposition, which stated:

Kasian's entire scalp was traumatically absent and was not found, was not present with the body. Her skull had been stripped down to the surface of the bone … There was no scalp present except for little bits in the back of the neck... portions of the right side of her face were torn away including the right ear and part of the posterior face on the (right) side, all the way down to the jawline... there were quite a number of bruises and abrasions on the face, primarily on the left side, the left cheek, and left jaw area, a number of bruises and abrasion, including one which turned out to be a human bite mark... she had lived for at least eight hours approximately after receiving the scalp injury and the bruise to the collarbone... I have never seen this before. And I doubt if hardly any forensic pathologists in this country or abroad have even seen this outside of, perhaps, wartime... So it’s extremely rare...

— Dr. James Ribe, Los Angeles County Coroner's Office[10][11]

In June 2018, Leibel was convicted of first-degree murder, with supplemental charges of torture and mayhem.[12] He was given a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole.[13] Leibel is currently serving his sentence at the California Correctional Institution.[14]

References
  1. Hamilton, Matt (31 May 2016). "Her blood was 'drained' from her: Canadian heir charged with torture killing of girlfriend in WeHo". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  2. "Canada tycoon's son Blake Leibel jailed for 'savage' murder". BBC News. 26 June 2018.
  3. Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame CMHF Official website.
  4. Team Canada Canadian Olympic Team Official Website. Accessed 25 September 2017.
  5. National Post "Victim's mom urged cops to go to home of Toronto heir day before daughter's body was found inside", by Richard Warnica and Jake Edmiston; 2 June 2017.
  6. Google "Patents" Accessed 25 September 2017.
  7. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-20180626-blake-leibel-sentencing-20180626-story.html
  8. "CBC Sports broadcaster Terry Leibel retires | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  9. "Case Information - Iana Kasian". Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  10. Worley, Will (2017-09-25). "Model 'scalped and drained of blood' in murder unprecedented 'outside wartime', reveals LA autopsy". The Independent. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  11. "WeHo's Holloway Drive: Scene of the Most Gruesome Murder in L.A. History?". WEHOville. June 17, 2017.
  12. Johnson, Scott (2018-06-20). "Filmmaker Blake Leibel Found Guilty of Grisly First-Degree Murder". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  13. Gerber, Marisa (26 June 2018). "Graphic novelist sentenced to life in prison for 2016 torture and murder of his fiancee". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  14. (CDCR), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "State of California Inmate Locator". inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
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