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Barbara Marie Opel is an American woman convicted of paying a group of teenagers to murder a 64-year-old man with terminal cancer in 2001. She is serving a life sentence, with no prospect of parole.
Barbara Opel | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 16, 1963 USA |
| Occupation | Live-in caretaker |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Children | Heather Opel |
| Conviction(s) | Aggravated first degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole |
| Details | |
| Victims | Jerry Duane Heiman |
Murder
editOpel was living with Jerry Duane Heiman, aged 64, and his 89-year-old mother, for whom she cared. In order to steal $40,000, she paid five teenagers, including her own 13-year-old daughter, to murder Heiman. Her other children, aged 7 and 11, were instructed by her to help mop up his blood.[1] Kyle Boston, aged 14, received $220, whilst his 13-year-old cousin was paid roughly $100, for the killing. 17-year-old Jeffrey Grote was given a car.[2]
On April 13, 2001, the five teenagers ambushed Heiman and attacked him with knives and baseball bats. He was found eight days later, in a shallow grave, roughly ten miles from his house.
Trial
editOpel denied that she wanted him dead, despite regularly telling friends "I wish he was dead".[3] She was found guilty and was narrowly spared the death penalty, as the jury could not reach a unanimous decision.[4] Following her conviction she was banned from any contact with her children, or being in the same prison as them.[5]
Opel's daughter Heather, pleaded guilty to first degree murder at the age of 14. She received life in prison, with a non-parole period of 22 years, making her eligible for parole in 2023 at the age of 36.[6] In April 2022 her sentence was reduced by the Snohomish County Superior Court to 20 years.[7] Kyle Boston was sentenced to 18 years, after pleading guilty to second degree murder. His unnamed cousin was tried as a juvenile and was released at the age of 21.[8] Jeffrey Grote (Heather Opel's boyfriend at the time of the attack), pleaded guilty to first degree murder and received a 50-year prison sentence.[9] Marriam Oliver, aged 14, was Heather Opel's best friend and also participated in the murder. Oliver pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 22-year prison sentence.[10]
Opel is currently incarcerated in the Washington Corrections Center for Women.
In the media
editOpel's case has been featured on the Investigation Discovery program Deadly Women in the third-season finale episode called "Blood Lines," appearing as the first of the three cases featured in the episode.
Her case is also featured on Season 2, Episode 8 titled “Mommy’s Little Killers” from the show Deadly Sins’’.
References
edit- ^ "Heather Opel, 14, is sentenced to 22 years for role in murder". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
- ^ "Woman Accused of Enlisting Teenagers in Killing - New York Times". The New York Times. Everett (Wash). April 26, 2001. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ "'I thought that if Jerry got beat up bad he deserved it'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Opel Spared Death Penalty". www.kirotv.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ Hefley, Diana (August 10, 2013). "Woman sought contact with daughter she hired to kill man". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ M.L. Lyk (August 16, 2002). "Heather Opel, 14, is sentenced to 22 years for role in murder". seattlepi.com. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ Goldstein-Street, Jake (April 1, 2022). "A 2001 killer, then 13, will be released from prison early". Everett Heraldnet. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ Leon, John de (December 11, 2013). "Shorter sentence denied for inmate convicted of 2001 Everett murder". The Associated Press. OLYMPIA: The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Jennifer. "Grote sentenced for role in Heimann slaying". Community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ Hefley, Diana (June 14, 2016). "Woman who was 14 when she helped kill a man is denied clemency". HeraldNet.com. OLYMPIA: Everett Herald and Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
The board, in a 3-1 vote last week, declined to recommend that Gov. Jay Inslee commute the rest of Marriam Oliver's 22-year prison sentence.