Wife told lover, 21, 'to batter husband to death with a shovel' to avoid custody battle over children
Morgan Mengel tried to have lover take the blame by pretending she had given birth to his twins
3
View
comments
A wife went on trial today accused of goading her lover into killing her husband to avoid an expensive custody battle over their young children.
Morgan Marie Mengel, 35, convinced 21-year-old Stephen Shappell to take part in her alleged murder plot to batter Kevin Mengel, 34, to death with a shovel in Chester County, Philadelphia.
The jury will then hear how Mengel tried to persuade her lover to take the full blame for the murder by pretending she had given birth to his twins while in prison.
Devious: Morgan Marie Mengel, 35, allegedly convinced her 21-year-old love to batter her husband to death with a shovel in Chester County, Philadelphia
Prosecutors plan to introduce letters in which Mengel allegedly asked Shappell to exonerate her from the murder as she had to bring up their children.
Mengel described her labour and pregnancy and even the infants weight and eye colour to Shappell in a bid to convince him not to implicate her in her husband's murder.
RELATED ARTICLES
Adopted boy, 15, 'admits to murdering his prison psychologist father and physician mother before hiding the... 
It IS Ayla's: Missing toddler's blood is found in her father's house, police reveal
Honour killing family jailed for life as judge says: 'It is difficult to conceive of a more despicable, more...
Share this article
ShareShappell is set to be the star prosecution witness having already pleaded guilty to murder.
Mengel and Shappell started their affair after having met at the landscaping business Morgan ran with her husband.
Conned: Stephen Shappell, 21, buried Kevin Mengel behind his high school after having an affair with the man's wife
She is alleged to have first tried to poison her husband by putting liquid nicotine into his Snapple drink.
When that failed, Shappell bludgeoned him to death with a shovel. Mr Mengel's body was buried behind the 21-year-old's former high school in June 2010.
Mengel is alleged to have sent text messages and even updated her husband’s Facebook page to make it appear that he had walked out on his family.
Adored: Kevin Mengel's death leaves his three children without a father after he was brutally murdered
Prosecutors say Mengel had been trying to make her husband 'vanish' for two years prior to his murder and in 2008 attempted to poison him with sleeping pills.
Several witnesses were being lined up to say how Morgan Mengel hated her husband.
She had also reportedly said divorce was not an option because she did not want a custody fight over their three children.
Battered to death: Morgan Mengel wanted to make the father of her three children Kevin Mengel (pictured) 'vanish' and had previously tried to poison him
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2FcYWScm5xZ4ees6Z506ijnWWcpMOmvoxraGaakanBpr6MoaysmpGjsW6wxJqroWWjnby3sctmmK%2BnmZl6pMHSraadsV2XrrXAy55knKCZobGzsc1nn62lnA%3D%3D