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StevenCombs-LaFleur convicted of first-degree murder
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Loudoun County News Update
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Date: November 20, 2011 07:55PM
Defendant describes ‘mercy kill’
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 by Laura Peters
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/defendant_describes_mercy_kill123/
It took less than a minute for Catherine “Cacey” Combs-LaFleur to die on the night of Sept. 18, 2010, according to her husband, Steven Combs-LaFleur, who took the stand in his own defense Nov. 17 during day four of his murder trial.
The 61-year-old husband is accused of hitting his wife seven times with a sledgehammer. His defense attorney, Matt Snow, says her death was a “mercy kill.”
If a Loudoun County jury convicts him of first-degree murder Steven Combs-LaFleur faces life in prison.
“I had to stop her agony, I felt I just had to,” the defendant said on the stand. “She was in total pain. Agony is the only word for it. I couldn’t stand it for her. I couldn’t stand it for me. It was horrible.”
Steven Combs-LaFleur said he was doing repairs on his home in Leesburg on the night of his wife’s death when something knocked the ladder over he was standing on. When he became conscious, he saw his wife laying in the fetal position on the deck and stairs.
“All of the sudden the bottom of the ladder knocked out. I looked down and saw Cacey below me with her hands above her head,” the defendant said. “I don’t remember falling.”
Throughout Steven Combs-LaFleur’s testimony on Nov. 17, there were many inconsistencies.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys Russet Perry and Nicole Whitman presented to the jury the 911 call Steven Combs-LaFleur made the night he killed his wife. In the call, the defendant said he had been performing CPR on his wife for more than 30 minutes. But in his testimony on Nov. 17 he said he did not.
The defendant said he had moved his wife to lay her on her back on the deck. He said he didn’t notice any wounds on her head until he attempted to do CPR.
“I sat back and said, ‘oh my god, she’s dead.’ I felt horrible,” Steven Combs-LaFleur said. “At the time I thought the ladder hit her head. I felt horrible, here’s Cacey, she’s dead. I was crying. There was no response from her all this time. Her head was bashed in … crushed.”
The defendant said he had straddled over his wife to attempt CPR, then, after being pressed by his attorney, changed his story, saying he instead crouched next to her.
Then he heard her gasp.
“I still think she came back to life. She was not moving, her eyes were not opening,” he said. “She was making a very loud sound. It was the sound of pure pain. I knew she was in absolute pain and I couldn’t stand it. I had to stop it.”
“There was a hammer at my fingertips. I picked it up and hit her with it. I did it because I loved her. It was mercy,” he continued. “This was Cacey, in horrible pain and I had to do something and that was my reaction. I was not thinking clearly.”
When questioned by Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Lead Investigator Kelly Poland Steven Combs-LeFleur said he didn’t tell her the entire story. He said he told the story up until the point when his wife started to make a “horrible sound” and then he struck her.
“I started to feel pretty stupid on how to respond,” Steven Combs-LaFleur said. “I had to say something. As the night went on I got more and more scared about what really happened.”
When on the stand, the defendant said his wife’s hand was in her hair when he repositioned her. He then moved her hands to her sides.
Whitman pointed out that this was new information that wasn’t presented to investigators and that it was said after the blood spatter analyst had said there was blood on the palms on her hands that came from her head wounds.
Perry presented the court recorded conversations the defendant had with his mistress, Devi O’Connell, while at the Loudoun County Detention Center. Steven Combs-LaFleur told O’Connell Snow had come to see him and they went over the case.
“He questioned me like we were in court and he said that I did a good job. He said I looked real sincere,” the defendant said to O’Connell. “ He said we’re going to be good.”
During another visit at the detention center the defendant discussed another conversation he had with Snow with O’Connell.
“I didn’t cry when I told the story. He said I’ll probably be more emotional in court,” the defendant told O’Connell. “He said that when I tell the jury that I should try to cry. I’ve never tried to make myself cry … so maybe I should practice that.”
Money troubles
On Nov. 16, prosecutors presented the jury with a taped conversation between Steven Combs-LeFleur and his insurance company. During the conversation, the defendant kept asking what the couple’s policy was on accidental death.
According to prosecutors, he kept pushing the insurance company on how much money he would receive if his wife would accidentally die.
The defendant worked on and off as a handy man and for the U.S. Census Bureau, but his wife had a steady job. Still, money was tight for their family and they had dipped into their life savings and his wife’s 401k.
“We were looking at things getting better real soon,” the defendant said. “[Cacey] was more upset about our financial status. She was more concerned than I was. I thought things would turn around and get better.”
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Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011 by Laura Peters
http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/defendant_describes_mercy_kill123/
It took less than a minute for Catherine “Cacey” Combs-LaFleur to die on the night of Sept. 18, 2010, according to her husband, Steven Combs-LaFleur, who took the stand in his own defense Nov. 17 during day four of his murder trial.
The 61-year-old husband is accused of hitting his wife seven times with a sledgehammer. His defense attorney, Matt Snow, says her death was a “mercy kill.”
If a Loudoun County jury convicts him of first-degree murder Steven Combs-LaFleur faces life in prison.
“I had to stop her agony, I felt I just had to,” the defendant said on the stand. “She was in total pain. Agony is the only word for it. I couldn’t stand it for her. I couldn’t stand it for me. It was horrible.”
Steven Combs-LaFleur said he was doing repairs on his home in Leesburg on the night of his wife’s death when something knocked the ladder over he was standing on. When he became conscious, he saw his wife laying in the fetal position on the deck and stairs.
“All of the sudden the bottom of the ladder knocked out. I looked down and saw Cacey below me with her hands above her head,” the defendant said. “I don’t remember falling.”
Throughout Steven Combs-LaFleur’s testimony on Nov. 17, there were many inconsistencies.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorneys Russet Perry and Nicole Whitman presented to the jury the 911 call Steven Combs-LaFleur made the night he killed his wife. In the call, the defendant said he had been performing CPR on his wife for more than 30 minutes. But in his testimony on Nov. 17 he said he did not.
The defendant said he had moved his wife to lay her on her back on the deck. He said he didn’t notice any wounds on her head until he attempted to do CPR.
“I sat back and said, ‘oh my god, she’s dead.’ I felt horrible,” Steven Combs-LaFleur said. “At the time I thought the ladder hit her head. I felt horrible, here’s Cacey, she’s dead. I was crying. There was no response from her all this time. Her head was bashed in … crushed.”
The defendant said he had straddled over his wife to attempt CPR, then, after being pressed by his attorney, changed his story, saying he instead crouched next to her.
Then he heard her gasp.
“I still think she came back to life. She was not moving, her eyes were not opening,” he said. “She was making a very loud sound. It was the sound of pure pain. I knew she was in absolute pain and I couldn’t stand it. I had to stop it.”
“There was a hammer at my fingertips. I picked it up and hit her with it. I did it because I loved her. It was mercy,” he continued. “This was Cacey, in horrible pain and I had to do something and that was my reaction. I was not thinking clearly.”
When questioned by Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Lead Investigator Kelly Poland Steven Combs-LeFleur said he didn’t tell her the entire story. He said he told the story up until the point when his wife started to make a “horrible sound” and then he struck her.
“I started to feel pretty stupid on how to respond,” Steven Combs-LaFleur said. “I had to say something. As the night went on I got more and more scared about what really happened.”
When on the stand, the defendant said his wife’s hand was in her hair when he repositioned her. He then moved her hands to her sides.
Whitman pointed out that this was new information that wasn’t presented to investigators and that it was said after the blood spatter analyst had said there was blood on the palms on her hands that came from her head wounds.
Perry presented the court recorded conversations the defendant had with his mistress, Devi O’Connell, while at the Loudoun County Detention Center. Steven Combs-LaFleur told O’Connell Snow had come to see him and they went over the case.
“He questioned me like we were in court and he said that I did a good job. He said I looked real sincere,” the defendant said to O’Connell. “ He said we’re going to be good.”
During another visit at the detention center the defendant discussed another conversation he had with Snow with O’Connell.
“I didn’t cry when I told the story. He said I’ll probably be more emotional in court,” the defendant told O’Connell. “He said that when I tell the jury that I should try to cry. I’ve never tried to make myself cry … so maybe I should practice that.”
Money troubles
On Nov. 16, prosecutors presented the jury with a taped conversation between Steven Combs-LeFleur and his insurance company. During the conversation, the defendant kept asking what the couple’s policy was on accidental death.
According to prosecutors, he kept pushing the insurance company on how much money he would receive if his wife would accidentally die.
The defendant worked on and off as a handy man and for the U.S. Census Bureau, but his wife had a steady job. Still, money was tight for their family and they had dipped into their life savings and his wife’s 401k.
“We were looking at things getting better real soon,” the defendant said. “[Cacey] was more upset about our financial status. She was more concerned than I was. I thought things would turn around and get better.”
Attachments: