A Rich Lumberman Abducted for $6,000 — and the Kidnapper's Defense Is Insanity
In Mount Vernon, the young man accused of seizing wealthy lumberman E. O. English and holding him for a $6,000 ransom abruptly drops his not-guilty plea and admits the deed — then pivots to an insanity defense.
MOUNT VERNON, Wash., Feb. 13. — Attorneys for Leo Bexemer, accused of kidnaping E. O. English, a wealthy lumberman, and demanding of him a ransom of $6,000, this morning withdrew the plea of not guilty and admitted that the young man committed the act with which he is charged. Instead of asking for mercy from the court as rumored would be done, the lawyers entered a plea that Bexemer is insane and will introduce evidence tending to bear out this contention.
“Instead of asking for mercy from the court as rumored would be done, the lawyers entered a plea that Bexemer is insane.”
A century before 'affluenza' and high-profile insanity defenses filled the headlines, this Skagit Valley case shows the same courtroom move: admit the crime, then argue the mind that committed it was not responsible. The lurid framing of a wealthy lumberman held for ransom also reminds us how the press has always sorted victims and defendants by class.
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