Iana Kasian

Iana Kasian (Cyrillic: Яна Касьян) (27 January 1986 – 26 May 2016) was a Ukrainian former prosecutor who was tortured and murdered by her fiancé, Blake Leibel, soon after the birth of their daughter.

Iana Kasian
Born(1986-01-27)January 27, 1986
Kyiv, Ukraine
DiedMay 26, 2016(2016-05-26) (aged 30)
West Hollywood, California, United States
Cause of deathHomicide by torture and exsanguination
OccupationProsecutor • model
Partner(s)Blake Leibel (engaged)
(2015-2016; her death)
Children1
Parent(s)Olga Kasian

Kasian was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she had studied law, and worked as a prosecutor[1] at the Ukrainian tax service. In 2014, she emigrated to the United States from Ukraine, and worked as a model in California. On May 3, 2016, she gave birth to daughter Diana.[2][3]

Murder

The lifeless body of Iana Kasian was found by law enforcement officers on May 26, 2016. The discovery was made following a barricade stand-off with Blake Leibel, who is the father of Kasian's daughter. Leibel was charged with Kasian's murder, which occurred on the 8500 block of Holloway Drive in West Hollywood, California in an apartment that the couple had recently shared.[4] News media reported the crime as "grisly" and possibly "the most gruesome murder in the history of West Hollywood if not Los Angeles".[5][2]

An autopsy report was released on September 20, 2017, listing Kasian's causes of death as exsanguination and head trauma.[6]

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[5][3]

Leibel was convicted of first-degree murder, torture and aggravated mayhem on June 20, 2018.[7] On June 26, 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[1]

References
  1. 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.
  2. Edmiston, Jake; Warnica, Richard (31 May 2016). "Toronto heir accused of grisly Los Angeles murder could face death penalty". National Post. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. 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.
  4. Hamilton, Matt (27 May 2016). "The Homicide Report". Los Angeles Times.
  5. "WeHo's Holloway Drive: Scene of the Most Gruesome Murder in L.A. History?". WEHOville. June 17, 2017.
  6. "Case Information - Iana Kasian". Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  7. "Man Who Mutilated, Drained Girlfriend of Blood in WeHo Convicted". NBC Southern California. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  • Wolfe, Natalie News.com.au: "The horrific tale of Iana Kasian’s Hollywood murder and the torture she was subject to", 26 September 2017.
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