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Prosecutors have revealed that a man accused of murdering his girlfriend in West Hollywood allegedly mutilated her and drained her of her blood.
Blake Leibel, 35, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture, according to a release from the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. Deputy District Attorney Tannaz Mokayef is prosecuting the case.
Leibel was arrested on May 26 on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend, 30-year-old Iana Kasian. The couple lived together in a condo in West Hollywood, and had just had a baby four weeks prior. Police responded to the apartment when Kasian's mother called to report her daughter missing, saying she hadn't heard from her in a few days.
When police arrived to conduct a welfare check at Kasian's mother's request, Leibel attempted to barricade himself inside the apartment. After deputies forced their way into the home, they discovered Kasian's body in a bedroom. Their infant was not home at the time, and is currently being cared for by a family friend. According to prosecutors, Leibel allegedly tortured and mutilated Kasian, as well as drained her blood from her body. Authorities initially stated that Kasian had died due to blunt force trauma to the head.
CBS reports that neighbors heard screams coming from the unit, but failed to call police, thinking it was just a loud television.
Leibel's background is apparently one of great wealth. Leibel is originally from Canada and moved to L.A. in 2004, where he has worked in film, comic books and animation. Leibel's father, Lorne Leibel, is a well-known real estate developer and once competed in the 1976 Olympics on a Canadian sailing team, the L.A. Times reports. He also owns a lavish Bel Air mansion that Lady Gaga has been known to rent. Leibel's brother, Cody, who also lives in L.A., founded C-Note Records and works with nightlife entrepreneur Sam Nazarian, according to WeHoVille. Blake Leibel received hefty monthly allowances from his family for several years.
Leibel was also in the process of a divorce with his ex-wife. His attorney in the divorce proceedings, Ronald Richards, told the Times that he's known his client for a long time and that he's never been a violent person. However, Siebel was also arrested on May 20 on suspicion of sexual assault, and was out on a $100,000 bail at the time of Kasian's death.
Leibel was also apparently involved in the writing of a 2010 graphic novel called Syndrome that was published by Archaia Entertainment.
According to the book's Amazon description:
When a rogue neuropathologist makes a startling breakthrough — literally isolating the root of all evil in the recesses of the human brain — he'll stop at nothing to advance his theory. With the help of a naïve Hollywood actress, a tormented motion picture director, and a condemned serial killer, Dr. Wolfe Brunswick launches a bold experiment in the Nevada desert, the outcome of which could transform humanity forever.
The Washington Post reports that a scene from the graphic novel depicted a couple murdered by a serial killer who had hung their bodies upside down and drained their blood. Archaia issued a statement to the National Post, saying they were "deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy," and had ceased working with Leibel a year ago.
Not much is known about Kasian, but she was originally from the Ukraine, where she studied law, and she moved to L.A. in 2014, according to the Washington Post.
