Shivangi Sinha
One of the worst serial killers in American history, Scott Lee Kimball, terrorized the state of Colorado between 2003 and 2004. Although he started with petty and nonviolent crimes, he struck for the first time when he killed LeAnn Emry in January 2003. However, quite surprisingly, the police allegedly refused to investigate the murder thoroughly, leading to a spree of murders until his arrest in 2006. ’20/20: Rocky Mountain Horror’ chronicles the gruesome murders and follows the investigation that brought the serial killer to justice.
LeAnn Emry, Jennifer Marcum, Kaysi McLeod and Terry Kimball Were Killed By Scott Kimball
Scott Kimball met LeAnn Emry through her brother, Steve Holley, who was his cellmate while serving time for a bank robbery at Englewood. Although sources mention that she was involved with other people who often abused drugs and committed petty crimes, her association with Scott began in 2002, when he began involving her in several frauds and financial scams, including credit card theft. Since Steve was in solitary confinement then, LeAnn depended entirely on Scott’s support, and she even traveled with him through four different states, where they made money by stealing checks.
Although LeAnn’s parents knew she had gone to Mexico, she kept in touch with her sister and even spoke of impending danger. Nevertheless, she was last seen checking out of a hotel in Grand Junction, Colorado, on January 29, 2003, and Scott later claimed he took her to Bryson Canyon before killing her with a bullet to the head. He also reached out to Jennifer Marcum around 2002 in the hopes of roping her into one of his financial crimes. Jennifer, a 25-year-old high-school dropout who lived with her son in Denver, was desperate for a job, and she excitedly took Scott up on his offer when he asked her to manage some of his coffee shops in Seattle.
However, that was the last time anyone ever saw or heard from Jennifer, as she seemingly disappeared into thin air after moving to Seattle. On top of it, her cell phone went silent in the days that followed, and her car was found abandoned in the Denver International Airport parking area. Later reports mention that the vehicle was abandoned on February 18, 2003, and Jennifer did not even attempt to contact her son since then. In January 2003, Scott Kimball met and befriended Lori McLeod, who would soon become his wife. Kaysi McLeod, her 19-year-old daughter from her previous marriage, lived with her mother and was gradually recovering from meth addiction.
Reports mention that despite being previously charged with credit card fraud, the teenager was turning her life around and even had a part-time job at a local subway. Nevertheless, Kaysi suddenly disappeared into thin air in August 2003 when Scott was reportedly on a hunting trip. Upon his return, he even promised to use his FBI contacts to search for her, but Lori began suspecting her husband after finding her daughter’s work schedule in his possession. Besides, Kaysi’s work uniform and personal datebook were also found in his belongings, and her boyfriend insisted that the missing girl was last seen leaving a motel room with Scott.
Interestingly, Scott was even suspected of being involved in his uncle, Terry Kimball’s disappearance. In 2004, the latter lived with him and Lori when he suddenly disappeared without a trace. She even mentioned spotting a couch with a red stain on it shortly after the disappearance, but Scott claimed his uncle won some money in a lottery and moved to Mexico with a stripper. While this explanation was pretty vague, the police later traced some unexplained activities on Terry’s credit card to his nephew, Scott. His death was confirmed once the serial killer led authorities to his remains.
Scott Kimball is a Suspect in Other Murders Too
In 2007, the police learned that a hunter had discovered human remains while exploring the Routt National Forest in Jackson County. They consisted of a single human skull, and it proved a perfect match for Kaysi McLeod, and investigators knew they had leverage over Scott. Hence, once he was arrested for his previous financial crimes, detectives offered him a deal in which he could plead guilty to second-degree murder if he helped authorities recover the remains of his other victims. Subsequently, Scott led the police to LeAnn Emry and Terry Kimball’s remains, yet Jennifer Marcum’s body had never been found.
Eventually, Scott Kimball pleaded guilty to four charges of second-degree murder, whereas several others, including the FBI, were sure that he had killed numerous others. In fact, he was a primary suspect in the murder of Catrina Powerll, whose body was found in Westminister, Colorado, in January 2004. Furthermore, Scott was even believed to be involved in the West Mesa murders after the remains of eleven were found buried near Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2009. That said, readers should note that he has never been charged in these two cases, and as far as official records are concerned, the serial killer claimed the lives of four victims before his arrest.
