The Raven Knocks
True Crime/Missing Persons/Cold Cases- I decided to begin a podcast regarding true crime because I feel like some of the victim's story never gets told due to it being to graphic or not admissible in court. I also think that Justice is lost in some of these cases and it's not right. I hope I can be a voice for the ones who lost theirs and perhaps make this world a slightly better place, and have you thinking more cautiously.
The Raven Knocks
You mean he scalped her AND cut off the side of her face?
What if the person you trust the most becomes your worst nightmare? On this gripping episode of "Raven's Knock," we unravel the spine-tingling tale of Iana Kaysen's disappearance and the shocking discovery that followed. Iana's mother, Olga, arrives from Ukraine only to find herself in a haunting web of silence. As the landlord unlocks the mystery behind Iana closed doors, the uncanny claim by her boyfriend, Blake Lieblel, sends shockwaves through the investigation. Brace yourself for a chilling journey as we dissect the eerie details that left police officers and family members searching for answers in an upscale apartment that held secrets beyond imagination.
Join us as we navigate the harrowing investigation details that piece together the gruesome narrative of Iana's murder. Forensic analysis opens a window into the violent nature of her suffering, where evidence paints a disturbing sequence that suggests more than mere brutality. Despite the absence of immediate blood loss, the discovery of blood-stained objects and human tissue scattered through Iana's home raises haunting questions about Blake's motivations and the horrifying reality of domestic violence. The perplexing state of the crime scene and the intricacies of the forensic findings lead us to question the depths of unchecked emotions and their sinister consequences.
As we unravel Iana's tragic story, we explore the complex dimensions of her life with Blake, a man whose charm masked a darker side. Their relationship, once filled with promises, crumbled under the weight of Blake's controlling behavior and personal demons. The eerie reflections of real-life crimes in Blake's novel add a layer of intrigue to his character, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. This episode forces us to confront the chilling impacts of domestic violence, the pressures of new parenthood, and the tragic intertwining of love and brutality that culminated in a devastating ending.
Hey guys, welcome to my channel. I'm your host, Amy Prince, and this is the Raven's Knock. If you like what you see in here, please like, subscribe and donate to this channel. It really helps me and I cannot continue without your support. We are on all platforms so you can listen to wherever you get your podcasts. For those that have already subscribed and supported me, I really appreciate that. A shout out to all my peeps across the pond we love other countries and, of of course, the US has our fair share of sickos. Please note that the content of this recording may contain graphic material, including torture, and explicit language may be used. The opinions are of my own and may be offensive to some listeners. They are my opinions, everyone has them, and if you do not agree, then ignore them like an adult and move on. Listener discretion is strongly advised. Hey guys, welcome to this episode on the Raven's Knock. I have my co-host here, jamie, hey guys, and we have got a very interesting story for you today. Again, it's one of those that are kind of out there, so I hope you have a good stomach, so I'll go ahead and get started.
Speaker 1:Between May 26th and May 27th 2016,. May 26th and May 27th 2016, ayanna Kaysen's phone received 107 text messages, 44 notifications, 100 calls and 16 instant messages. All that would go unanswered. Wow, everyone was beginning to panic. Something was wrong. But what could be wrong? Ayana lived in a very upscale apartment with her boyfriend, blake Lobble, and Ayana had just given birth two weeks before. Could it be complications from the birth? Well, her mother was growing impatient, as she had flown in from Ukraine to help her daughter with the baby, and neither Ayanna or Blake was answering their phones or the door. She called police twice for a welfare check, in which they came. They called, they left voicemails, they knocked, rang the doorbell and got nothing, so they left.
Speaker 1:Now, the last time Olga, which is Ayanna's mom, was there, she noticed that the upstairs balcony door was open, and so she yelled up to the door to get him to come and answer the front door, to the door, um, to get him to come and answer the front door. But she saw him just close the door and close the blinds. Wow, that's the mother-in-law it is, and she couldn't figure out why. Because they I mean, they all got along well, you know. So it was just strange like why is he doing that? Yeah, ogle was fed up and she called the police to come back to the home, but this time she had the landlord there waiting for them with the key.
Speaker 1:Now the officers unlocked the door to find that the door would still not open. Apparently, the apartments had an extra security lock on the inside. After getting approval from their supervisor, they kicked in the door to an eerily quiet, dark apartment. No one was in the living room on the balcony, so they go into the kitchen and no one. No one was in the dining room either. The door to the hallway was closed, and when they went to open it they found that it was locked. So they kicked it in, only for it to also be extremely difficult to open. Something was on the other side of the door holding it closed. It was a mattress from the guest bedroom. Once they made it in there, they noticed some blood standing on a headboard, but they still didn't find anyone. So that only left one other area, which is the master bedroom.
Speaker 1:Now, before they decided to bust in that door, the police called out, made themselves known and asked if there was anyone in the room and, if there was, that they needed to come out now. At first they got nothing. They then repeated themselves and a male voice was heard that said he was afraid of being beaten up, so he wasn't coming out until his father showed up and he was on his way. What does that sound like, I don't know? Like a toddler. I'm not coming out until my daddy gets here, not today. Yeah, he said iana can't make me. Yeah, no kidding. He said iana was fine, she was in the hospital, and gave them the hospital name and room number.
Speaker 1:Now, as they were trying to verify this information, it wasn't long before a man appeared, but it wasn't his father, but a man that Blake had referred to as his father. It was actually his accountant and his mentor. His name was Stephen Green. That makes you say, well, what does that say about his dad? I know my accountant is my father, yes, so y'all better not mess with him. So his name was Stephen Green, and Green stated that he had tried to make contact with Blake the month before, but he couldn't get in touch with him, which seemed very odd to him, and so when he got the call to come over, he came right away. So he was in the living room and he used a cell phone to call Blake. That was in the bedroom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now, an officer soon got on the line and they talked Blake into walking out of the bedroom, and he did so wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, into walking out of the bedroom, and he did so wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts. Now, as soon as he came out of the bedroom, an officer screamed that the person they were looking for was lying on the bed. The detective heard his fellow officer and could tell by the sound of his voice that something wasn't right. It wasn't an ordinary finding and they did come across a lot of deceased people, but this one was different. It took the cake, it did. He took a deep breath, not knowing what he was fixing to walk into, said a short prayer and walked into the room. Short prayer and walked into the room. He was totally stunned and at a complete loss for words and everybody just kind of froze for a minute.
Speaker 1:They were trying to make sense of what their eyes were relaying to their brains. What do you think they saw? Well, she was looking for her daughter, probably her. Well, she was looking for the, her daughter, probably her. Well, they sealed the apartment. They called for the medics who were waiting downstairs. They came up and pronounced her dead at 102 pm, they immediately risked arrested blake on the spot.
Speaker 1:Crime scene investigators came in and began their work, but they're going to need some therapy. Wonder why they arrested him on the spot? Well, because there's a dead body in there and he's the only one there. Yeah, could they really charge him at that time? No, it's just out of suspicion. Yeah, I mean, you know you're there with a dead body, so we're going to arrest you, take you down to the station and we're going to start to question you and see what's going on. It's like detaining, yeah, yeah, so he was detained. Um, now they're going to need some therapy. Uh, seeing something is one thing, but knowing what you will eventually find out later from the medical examiner is another, and that, my friend, is what makes this story so horrific.
Speaker 1:Upon entering the master bedroom, they noticed Ayana laying flat on her back, naked, laying on a clean, crisp sheet. There were no blood stains on this sheet, it was completely clean. What'd he do? Embalm her or something? No, but, but just hang on to your panties for a second. Let me grab on to them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, her scalp had been cut from the eyebrows all the way back to her hairline in the back of her head and it was nowhere to be found. The scalp, the scalp, what yeah? The scalp, the scalp, what yeah. So you can imagine when they walked in and what they saw. Now, the tissue that was once there was gone and so the skull was visible. Ugh, the right side of her face was missing and so was her ear. So you're looking at a woman who is missing her scalp and half a face and half of her face, but there's no blood on those sheets and so weird. And so they're standing there and again they're kind of dumbfounded. They're they're trying to process what they're seeing, because, considering her injuries, you would think that there would be blood everywhere. I bet when they first looked at it they thought well, is she fake? Is she even real? Right, because everything was so. Yeah, the pillow next to her had an indentation in it, as if someone had been laying beside her. Blood and human flesh were found behind the bed and there was blood on the wall near where her head had been of. Her eyebrow was found on the floor near the bed and there was some more blood found on a mattress that had been blocking that door in the other bedroom. That's why they couldn't get in the door right. That mattress had been that was blocking the door had belonged to the second bedroom. One area of that mattress also had a large blood stain. There was a clump of hair and a razor stained with blood in the trash can.
Speaker 1:Now, when officers had entered the apartment, they heard water running in the bathtub in the master bedroom and once they got into the master bedroom they went into the bathroom and turned it off. Blood stains and hair could be seen in the bathtub and in the drain and they later tested positive for blood. A green paring knife, like the ones they had seen in the kitchen, was found in the top drawer of the bathroom. The handle had blood on it. Uh, where the handle met the blade, the blood stain that they had found on the mattress was consistent with where her head had laid when he was cutting off her scalp. There was blood on a couple of towels, the floor and the base of the curtains of the guest room, the drain in the tub of the guest room. The guest bathroom also had tested positive for blood, as well as freshly cut hair.
Speaker 1:Chemical testing confirmed the presence of blood that someone had tried to clean up in areas of the dining room, hallway, guest bathroom and both bedrooms. The kitchen garbage disposal also tested positive for blood. They also found evidence in the dumpster under the trash chute located in the hallway, about 20 feet from their unit. Now they hit the jackpot when they got into that. In the trash bags they found blood-stained bedding, towels, clothing, bath mats, placemats, a bed skirt with bloody handprints, human tissue and an ear, a bed skirt with bloody handprints, human tissue and an ear. Dna confirmed that it was Leona's DNA on the tissue on the ear and the bed skirt. Her blood was also found on the green knife, the master bath drain, the mattress in the master bedroom and the blood found in various places of the master bedroom, including a diluted blood stain to the left side of the bed. Now, that diluted blood stain was a mixture from both Ayanna and Blake. Both of their DNA was found on the guest room mattress in the form of blood and one that was used to bear, you know the one that was used to barricade the door. Ayanna's DNA was found in blood on the headboard of the bed in the guest bedroom, the wall behind the toilet and cabinet in the guest bathroom, so just about everywhere in this house. There was either a piece of her whether it was hair tissue, an ear or blood but none on her person. No, no, how is that possible? You'll find out. Samples taken from Blake's left hand and fingernails also contained her DNA. There was dried blood stains all over the mattress that was under that clean sheet, so that's going to link him right there.
Speaker 1:The medical examiner testified that Ayanna was 30 years old. She was 5'4", she weighed 152 pounds. She had been deceased at least 24 hours before she had been found. She had died of blood loss due to head trauma that cut or tore several arteries and veins. Now, blood loss is fatal when you lose about half of your blood volume. Less than half remained in hers, actually so little that it surprised the most dedicated and educated of doctors. It wasn't possible to simply drain all of the blood out of a human. You just can't do that. All the blood will not drain. So how does that happen? So I'll try to get to that. Try to get to that. I'll tell you how they came to that, but they still couldn't duplicate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now she had numerous cuts and slashes across her lower forehead, below the brow bone and on the right side of her cheek down to the jawline and also the left side close to her ear well, the ear that was missing. A knife had been used to do most of this, but some tissue in the face had been torn away by hand, as well as some tissue on her scalp, so skin in a deer or something. Yeah, so what he cut? Like you know, he cut and then he literally took his hands and pulled some of her scalp and some of the side of her face. What would possess somebody to want to do that? I have no idea. And as we go on ask somebody to want to do that, I have no idea. And as we go on, that question's going to keep coming up, coming up, coming up.
Speaker 1:The medical examiner said in his opinion, by looking at her injuries, he had taken a lot of time to do this. He stated that Ayanna had been in tremendous pain and she had defensive wounds and she also had inflammation that was present. Now, if you guys have listened to my previous podcast, you know that this takes the body a few hours, you know, before this inflammation can occur, and it only occurs when the hardest pumping blood. So she was a lot, she was a lot. Wow, oh my gosh, that's horrific, oh yeah. Well, pieces of the scalp, the right ear, one eyebrow and other soft tissue collected from the crime scene also showed hemorrhaging, which is also consistent with her being alive.
Speaker 1:When this occurred, more than half of her blood was lost and she had no blood in her heart, her veins or her arteries. Now, this really puzzled the medical examiner. He found this highly unusual, even with her injuries, and such a high level of loss would require the heart to be pumping. And, um, he had to have the help from gravity, because gravity alone could not accomplish this. So, just to put this in perspective, he stated by placing Iona in a bathtub with her head lower than her feet, with water running over her scalp and ear, is the only way he could think of that you could come close to accomplishing this. It would have had to be hot water or something. Yeah, warm water, yeah. Now, in order for that blood to be expelled as it was, the heart had to be pumping to get that much blood out. And not only that, but she didn't have any blood left in her heart, or her veins, or her arteries Pumped every last drop.
Speaker 1:Now, this was so unusual that I'll get to that in just a second about what happens. Now you know you may wonder why. What's the water for? Well, the water would have stopped the blood from clotting and it would have washed away the blood from her wounds and it would have increased blood flow. Iona's fingers were wrinkled, indicating that she had been in the water, and would also explain, while she was found laying on the sheet, that that sheet was still clean. So basically, her blood was being drained in the bathroom, in the bathtub, and the water was running over her, which kept her body clean, which washed it down the drain Right. The water explained why the sheet was absent from blood. The presence of clear fluid in her vagina and the presence of foam in her nostrils is also consistent with the water. She would have had to have been in the water at least 30 minutes before this could occur.
Speaker 1:Now, she had defensive wounds to her right arm and both hands. She had bruises on the back of her left hand and wrist, which is consistent with her struggling and blocking him as she tried to fight back. She had abrasions and more bruising on the left side of her face, consistent with blunt force trauma. She had abrasions to the upper portion of her neck and more bruising and abrasions on the upper arm consistent with her being grabbed. She also had bite marks on the left side of her jaw and also her left bicep and fingernail marks under her jawline. So he bit her. Mm-hmm, jesus, yeah Now.
Speaker 1:Dr Michael Habib is an expert in cadaveric anatomy and fluid biomechanics. For those of you that don't know cadaveric anatomy, it's basically well, a cadaver is a corpse and anatomy is the study of internal structures in the body. So this doctor is an expert in anatomy who deals with cadavers or he studies the insides of a dead person. Biomechanics is the way forces affects the body's tissue, fluids and materials. So basically he is an expert in the way the blood flows throughout the body.
Speaker 1:He stated in his professional opinion that people who are scalped are not usually in any immediate danger of dying. It's extremely painful and traumatic, but would not normally lead to an enormous amount of blood loss. He could not find anywhere in any literature of a person dying from just simply being scalped. He stated that she was in excruciating pain when this occurred and from the cuts cuts it wasn't done all at one time, it happened over a period of time her injuries were consistent with it, beginning with a knife and then being torn by hand. He agreed with the medical examiner. The deeper wounds are what caused the blood loss and those seems to be the ones that were torn where he just ripped. They were ragged and even and buried in depth, consistent with someone who is untrained. He agreed with the medical examiner that she was alive when this occurred. Oh my god. Now, for a year and a half, this troubled this doctor so much.
Speaker 1:For a year and a half, this doctor taken and studied 70 donated cadavers to determine if it was possible to drain more than half the blood out of a body. Just for this case, they used several external pumps to mimic the heart and made cuts to the carotid artery and the femoral artery, which is your biggest arteries, and selected 14 different vessels and think of a vessel as, like a vessel would be a heart or an organ. He found that most of the cadavers still had blood Actually, 12 out of the 14 did and while most still had blood, every single one of the organs or vessels had blood, including the heart. None of them lost all of its blood. Even using state-of-the-art lab equipment, he never came close to draining as much blood as blake did to iona? That's going to be an unanswered question, it sounds like, and he confirmed that she was alive during this process and that it took a lot of time and a lot of effort in order to lose that much blood. The heart again still needed to be pumping it out and gravity was needed Because the injuries were to her head, face and upper neck. Her head needed to be the lowest point of her body to get rid of the blood. He also stated that reopening wounds would also help with this process.
Speaker 1:Now, ayana had lividity in her face which was consistent with being upside down. Lividity is basically a pulling of blood. So when the heart stops pumping blood, the blood will pull wherever the lowest part of your body is. So if you're on your back, then your entire backside probably your butt, maybe your upper, upper shoulders um is going to show, uh, kind of like your pressure points. Yes, would pool blood. Yes, uh, yeah, and it's the lowest setting, and the the will turn a bluish, purplish, pinkish color. Think of a bruise, a fresh bruise.
Speaker 1:Now it is possible to. When somebody dies, um, you know, for instance, her if she's upside down, like they think she was in the shower, she dies. So she's gonna have lividity in her face, in her head, because that's the lowest point. Now, if he moved her After that and say Later on her side, then Parts of her side that's the lowest point Is going to also have some lividity, because blood is also settled there. You know, for a period of time Were they able to find lividity anywhere except for that spot?
Speaker 1:They did, but the majority of the lividity was in her face. But because they found lividity in other parts of her body showed that she had been moved. Okay, so that was a giveaway. Well, that's interesting. I didn't know that Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Evidence that blood was cleaned from the hallway between the master and guest room showed that the body had been in those locations between the master and guest room showed that the body had been in those locations. A crime scene reconstructionist reviewed all the photos, information and evidence and he noted that the mattress where Ayano was laying had dried blood on it and a large amount of blood was smeared and wiped and blood had also been found on the wall behind this mattress. Blood had also been found on the wall behind this mattress. Now the table next to the bed had a lot of blood spatter and that told him that Ayanna was closer to the table than the wall while she was being attacked. It also showed to be consistent with Ayanna being attacked on that bed. Now, after After the attack, the blood on the mattress had time to dry, so imagine how long it takes for a large pool of blood to completely dry on a mattress. We know it was completely dry because the sheet that was placed over it was clean. It didn't absorb any blood. Oh yeah, that makes sense. He agreed that she was moved to different parts of the apartment after the initial attack and before being placed on the bed. The blood in the tub in the guest room showed that she had been in that tub. He stated that the blood on the headboard was consistent with her wounds on her head making contact with the head board in four or five different locations, and that suggested that her head was moving at the time.
Speaker 1:Now here here's the part that kind of I had to reread, think, reread, think. Sometimes that's not good for me, but going down rabbit holes, yeah, but the two bloody handprints they were found on the bed scarf they were consistent with a person lying on the bed with their hands on the bed and their fingers facing toward the victim's body, possibly looking at the head? Okay, I'll read that again here in a second. When you say bed skirt, I think of a skirt that goes around the bed in between the box spring and the mattress, right, you know, to kind of hide where you can't really see under the bed. Yeah, you know that little thing, that's what I consider a bed skirt. Yeah, where you can't really see under the bed. Yeah, you know that little thing, that's what I consider a bed skirt. Yeah, where my kid used to slide all her toys. Yeah, so I didn't know that she had hidden stuff. Yeah, I didn't put them back where they belonged, yes, there.
Speaker 1:So my question was if the person is lying on the bed, then in order for them to get their hands on the bed skirt, their fingers would be facing the floor, wouldn't you think you would think so. I'm thinking that this person, this crime scene reconstructionist, is probably a man that don't know what a bed skirt is. It's possible. I mean, it could have been the comforter. I mean, true, the reason why I'm in the bottom of the comforter, yeah, the reason why I'm saying the comforter is because if you're lying on the bed and just think about this, you put your hands on the bed and your fingers facing the victim. So imagine the victim's laying on the bed, you're going to put both your hands down on the bed and your fingertips is going to be facing the victim and it said, possibly looking at the head. And it said, possibly looking at the head. You know, so they're kind of at an angle, you know, toward the head of the bed. So that's what makes me think maybe a comforter, because I don't see how you can do that on a bed sheet, unless you're laying on the floor, but then you couldn't really see on top of the bed. So, and that wouldn't make any sense. No, and if you google bed skirt, it's the thing between the mattress and the box springs. That's nice to know, because I learned a lot of stuff, that what I thought was the actual thing.
Speaker 1:When I got to be an adult, I got embarrassed because that's not what you called it. Been there, done that A drop cord. Go into Sears and ask for a drop cord. They look at you like you have three heads. Yeah, I had no idea it was actually called an extension cord. Yeah, oh, that's not all. Insert foot in mouth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's, uh, being a redneck and not knowing any better, you walk into the uh food city grocery store and go back to the butcher and this young kid comes out. He was like oh, how can I help you? I was like can you tell me where your fat back is? And he said what? And I was like, oh god. I said can you tell me where your fat back? I don't know what you're talking about. If he turned around and said my back fat's back here. Yeah, I know. I said I tell you what. Do you have any? Do you have like an older person working? He was like oh, yeah, man, my manager's old. I'm like will you bring him out please? He was like sure, so he comes out. And he was like can I help you, ma'am? And I was like, yeah, I was wondering where your fatback was. And he was like oh, it's right over here, it's an age gap, so age gap. So I was like dude, kid, you need to come over here and you need to take notes Because somebody else is going to ask you. Yeah, that's when I realized it wasn't really called bad back.
Speaker 1:So salt pork, yep, salt pork. And you can't buy shucked beans in a grocery store either, because those only come out of the garden when your grandmother dries those beans out, and when they're completely dried out is when you cook them. And she called them shuck beans, what they're. I don't know if that's actually what they're called, but don't be a dumb ass like me going in food city and then I had to call my mom. I was like hey, where do you find the shuck beans? And she laughed. She was like oh honey, you can't get those there. I was like, of course not. Yeah, now you guys get a lesson from the South. Yeah, in Southern cuisine, let me tell you, keep on listening, there's going to be more, I'm telling you. So, back to where we were, now that we all know what a bed skirt is.
Speaker 1:The officer from the homicide unit met with a defendant and took photographs of him on the evening of May 26, 2016. After he had been arrested and brought to the station, he was clean, had recently showered, which is always nice and a rare occurrence at the police station, but in this case, not so nice. In terms of evidence. They listed him to be 6'3 and 210 pounds. He had severe bruising to both of his eyes running along the bridge of his nose, consistent with being hit with glasses on. So good job, ayana. She like, yeah, at least she got him a little bit. Oh, yeah, she got him.
Speaker 1:He had scratches to his left eye, long red scratches on his chest, a long scratch on the left side of his face. He had scratches on his neck, punct punctures caused by her fingernails and an elliptical injury to his right bicep consistent with a bite mark. So it appeared as if Blake wrapped his arms around her from behind. Uh-huh, so he's behind her, he wraps his arms around her and his bicep was at her mouth and she just choked down on it. I don't blame her. He was also missing the tip of his little finger. Now, they didn't say how this happened, but I hope to god I want to bit it off. Either she bit it off or she got a hold of a gun and got him with it. Well, I really hope she bit him off. Bit it off, because I think that would be a little bit more painful. He also had bruising to both shins and a bruise on the top of his right foot.
Speaker 1:Okay, are you sitting down for this one? I happen to be sitting down, yes, okay, I don't think I could reach this microphone. If I wasn't, I guess I could. I could raise it up. Everybody want to know how tall Jamie is. That'll be the question of the day for a blog spot. Yeah, see, if you're really listening to our podcast how tall is Jamie?
Speaker 1:So, in 2010, blake had a novel published. So, in 2010, blake had a novel published. Now, the book was his idea and he had to approve the writing, the art. As you know, he was neither an artist or a writer. He approached two men for this task that were professionals a guy named robert ryan and his partner, david quans I'm assuming how you pronounce that Now. At first, blake wanted this to be on TV, but the partner stated they didn't think it would be successful, but a novel might be. So they decided on the book. Now, blake attended nine out of the 50 meetings that they had, and they saw Blake about every five weeks or so. They would submit their work, he would approve or reject it, and eventually it was finished. In 2014, blake bought out roberts's share of the profits and so he was now the so copyright owner to his book. Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Now the cover of the book. Um, they presented several images, art images and the one he picked was a doll with the top of its scalp removed as well as a skull, and it exposes the brain. So this is the final image he chose for the cover of his book. Well, isn't that ironic? Oh yeah, but there's more. Now.
Speaker 1:The book itself was about a doctor who studied serial killers. The doctor was trying to figure out if he could cure or treat serial killers, which is not a bad, you know. I mean, I think that would be kind of cool for a book, you know. But now Blake gave the doctor's last name, his mother's maiden name. But now Blake gave the doctor's last name, his mother's maiden name, and this doctor lured an actress into his practice and ended up using her as bait for the serial killer. Now she eventually was stabbed to death.
Speaker 1:But in parts of the book it shows two victims who were hung from the ceiling. Both had been cut and both were watching each other die by watching the blood drain out of their bodies. Wow, wow, yeah. So I wonder if he was planning on having a second victim and he got interrupted. I don't know. It also had a naked, decapitated woman Pictured laying on the bed with clean sheets, which makes me wonder if he wasn't done what we found, right, jesus, yeah, this guy, okay. So don't it make you wonder Did he write the book and then plan the murder? Or was the writing of the book the planning of the murder and he planned it all along? Did he write the book before he met the wife? Yes, it was done in 2010, so the book was written before they had actually met. Interesting. So I wonder if he he just acted out his fantasy in the book. I wonder if he? You said she was from Russia, she was from the Ukraine. Okay. So now I wonder, since he wrote the the book first, then he went shopping for a wife, an actress. Just hold it right there, hold that at all. Okay.
Speaker 1:Now, after the book was published, robert introduced blake to his girlfriend named karen bl. Blake stated that she was the real Karen. Karen was the name of the actress that that doctor had got to be the bait for the serial killer. He named her Karen. Oh my God. So when he introduced Blake to his girlfriend named Karen and he said she's the real Karen, now, if that doesn't make your hair stand on end, you may need to check yourself. Mmm, my God, it does. That's crazy.
Speaker 1:Now, this novel became important to the case as things listed in the book had became a reality. Now the defense stated that it was irrelevant. How you know, he wrote the book before the murder and it's copycat he copycatted himself. I know, I'm telling you, I swear to god, I don't think I could be a defense attorney. I mean, you know, especially when you know, when you know for sure that the person that you're representing is guilty, mm-hmm, yeah, and you've got to come up with some way to, yeah, to get them a fair trial. And just, let's just say, for instance, if you knew somebody actually murdered somebody like this and you done your best, you done your job to give them a fair trial, you know, and whatever. And if they were to get off, how could you sleep at night? I know, I don't understand that you go out there and write another book and do the same thing again. Yeah, because he done got by with it once.
Speaker 1:I mean, no, don't get me wrong, I would love to like defend somebody that was like super innocent. I wouldn't mind taking that all the way to the hilt, yeah, but when you're a defense attorney, especially like a court appointed, so I'm, are there any defense attorneys listening to us? We would love to get your input on, especially if you're like a court appointed one, because I'm not so sure you have, if you're a court appointed attorney, that you really have a choice on on the, on the cases that you can agree to represent or not, I don't know. Say that somebody was being charged with murder and they couldn't get anybody to take their case, is the court required to appoint them an attorney? Even, yes, you haven't. What if they can afford an attorney, it doesn't matter. You haven have a right to an attorney, regardless If you can afford it or not. If you can afford it or whether you cannot afford it, you have a right to an attorney. That's why I'm saying I'm not sure I guess I can ask my lawyer friend Tyler about this, but I'm not sure if it's like a court appointed, like if they have a choice on, I don't know if courts have like, say, three court appointed attorneys and if two of them turned it down and then it came on your desk, if you absolutely had to take it whether you wanted to or not. You know what I'm saying. So I just wonder that, like I couldn't be a court appointed attorney, Now I could be a prosecutor all day long. I bet. Oh God, yeah, I could be a prosecutor all day long. So the prosecution stated that it was relevant and the judge sided with the prosecution hallelujah and told the defense that the jury could decide if it was relevant or not. So I'm proud of that judge, because usually stuff like that, you know, gets swept under the rug. Now to try to get some answers to why this happened.
Speaker 1:Blake came from money and both sides of his parents, born on May 8, 1981, to Lauren and Eleanor Leibel. His father was a former Olympian sailboat racer and a billionaire real estate developer. His mother, she just kind of came for money. Her father built a plastics company and she was left with an awesome inheritance. Now Lauren and Eleanor separated when the kids were young and you know Blake also had a brother. Blake chose to live with his mother and his brother chose to live with their father. Now Blake was afraid of their father and spent the majority of his childhood trying to make him proud. It seemed as if his father's favorite was his brother and not him. And his brother was very successful. Other than this, I couldn't. It seemed like they had a very decent childhood. I couldn't really find anything that proved otherwise. I do know that blake was very close to his mother. Now, once they became adults, blake decided to leave canada and move to hollywood, and his brother followed him and began a music business, as well as following in his father's footsteps in real estate.
Speaker 1:Now, just to give you an idea of kind of what Blake was up against in terms of his brother, his brother became the first 23 year old to own a 1.2 million dollar Ferrari, and he was described as a playboy, just like dear old dad. Now blake was described as more of a geek and he enjoyed his electronics and video games growing up and he began to start his career in networking. Now he did make it, and never hurt for money either. So you know, you can. That's not an issue. He was described as super intelligent almost too smart for his own good sometimes, and his network involved science fiction, psychology and serial killers. Now, he had big ideas, but he always had a problem when it came to executing those ideas. He did work with some well-known, famous people as well. Some people saw him as a con artist and a salesman, but most others found him very outgoing, funny and fun to be around.
Speaker 1:In 2011, now this is a year after that book was published, he married his first wife, amanda, and they went on to have two boys. All seemed to be well in the household. Amanda was a model and he enjoyed having her by his side. Also in 2011, his mother was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She was dying and this totally devastated Blake. She was this rock and she was slipping away, and there was no amount of money that could prevent it. His friends stated that it was during this time that they had saw Blake start to change. One night, while they were all out, he blew up and began shouting and cussing and berating everyone, and he eventually apologized for this and everyone kind of dismissed it, because they knew he was having a hard time losing his mom and he just had the birth of his first son, so a very stressful time.
Speaker 1:Now his mother died and she left her 12 million dollar estate, and Blake thought that the majority of this estate would be going to him. But at the reading of the will, he found out that not only was this going to him and his brother, but also to his father. So he felt betrayed. He contested the will, but he lost and then, out of the blue, in 2015, blake falls for a, moved out, got an apartment on Holloway, a very upscale part of town, and moved in a very beautiful lady from Ukraine named Iona. She was a lawyer and a model. And this totally shocked everyone because they thought, including his ex-wife, that things were fine. They thought their marriage was a happy one, that things were fine, they thought their marriage was a happy one, and Blake had been extremely stressed with the loss of his mother, the will. And then he found out that his brother was gambling with some very big high rollers and they were shady too. In fact, a couple years later they would be arrested for financial crimes. But he was so worried because his brother owed them money that he couldn't pay back, and Blake just immediately thought that they would come after him and his family to get back at his brother.
Speaker 1:So he began to grow extremely paranoid and begin living an erratic lifestyle while he was married to the Ukrainian. No, no, they never did get married. Oh, they didn't. Yeah, that's, that's when he was married to amanda. It's like all of a sudden he divorces her, gets an apartment off the rails. Yeah, everything goes off the rails. He gets an apartment, moves in this other chick and I don't know if he done that, thinking that maybe his wife and children would be safe and they would just come after him. And this new chick? I don't know, but all this happened like at one time he was paranoid about his brother. He divorces his wife, gets an apartment, moves this other girl in, and he was also seeing another woman named Constance. At the same time he was seeing Iona. I wonder if he was trying to figure out which one was going to be his victim. That could very well be it.
Speaker 1:Now, constance she was a storyboard artist and they had met years back and Blake always had a crush on her. It was so bad that he used to follow her around all the time. Constance stated their relationship was strictly professional, but later would say that her and Blake were occasionally having a sexual relationship. Mmm, the tangled webs we weave. I mean, maybe it's me because I'm from Tennessee, but a professional relationship, last I heard, didn't involve sex. But hey, maybe times have changed since I've been in the business world, who knows people describe, heard that involve sex. But hey, maybe times have changed since I've been in the business world. Who knows people described constance as unleashed and with a volatile personality. Now, this chick is crazy. Well, no wonder why he liked her. He was a little crazy too. Just kept in his box yeah, he kept it in his pocket, isn't he a little pocket of secrets.
Speaker 1:Now Blake bought a house and Constance moved into that house. Now, remember, iona and Blake lived in an upscale apartment, not a house. He would refer to Constance as his fiancée, or sometimes even his wife, but this only lasted six weeks, and then it soured. However, constance remained living in that house, but soon after the breakup, blake served Constance with an eviction notice. He's like get out. Yeah, he's done.
Speaker 1:But now, about a month after the notice, constance filed rape charges against Blake. Ooh, was that, I mean, legit? No, no, when they came to arrest him, he fought the officers. They had to tase him. Ayanna goes and bails him out. Oh gosh, yeah, she shouldn't have done that. Yeah, but she didn't know. Yeah, I mean, it's allegations, you know. I mean we don't think she would know, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1:Now Constance also begins talking to Blake's ex-wife, amanda, and they had one thing in common they both hated Iona, and Constance was determined to get her deported. But Amanda, the ex-wife, was more concerned about Blake's mental health. Since his mother had passed, he had begun to cut everyone from his past out of his life, and soon after, amanda began to get tired of Constance and didn't like it when Constance admitted that the rape charge was something she had made up to get back at him. So Amanda began to distance herself from Constance. However, constance wasn't having it. She left threatening voicemails, threatened to kill herself if amanda didn't talk to her. Amanda found out that constance had been following them home, had written about them in her journal and had two enlarged pictures of her and blake's boys, so she filed a restraining order against her. Wow, yeah, oh, and there's so much more drama with that girl, I'm telling you, but I, I just looked all that out.
Speaker 1:Uh, ayanna was born in Ukraine on January 27, 1986. Her father was a labor in the Navy Yard and her mother was in health care. She grew up and attended and graduated from law school and in 2014, she moved to the US and began modeling here. She had no idea of the horror she would voluntarily enter into at the hands of a soulless, heartless, evil man of whom she had fell in love with. Ayanna told her mother that her life wasn't as blissful as it appeared. She loved blake and she thought he loved her too, but he did have his flaws. Granted, everybody's got their balls. He enjoyed smoking marijuana and sometimes he would smoke the synthetic con. He would also eat hallucinogenic mushrooms. But he did buy her brand new mercedes suv, took her on many vacations and was good to her. He would tell her how he was going to marry her and how they were going to buy a house and live happily ever after. Well, their friends stated that sounds like grooming to me. Yeah, um, their friends stated that they both seem to be happy and in the new stages of love.
Speaker 1:In 2016, blake and Ayanna went to Hawaii on vacation and guess who? Hired a PI to follow them? Oh, constance. Yes, she was becoming obsessive. And again, there's just so much drama with her. She was becoming obsessive and again, there's just so much drama with her. Did they try to bring her in as part of the murder suspect or anything? They didn't even go that route. No, no, blake and Alana. They had rented another high-scale apartment for Alana's mother, olga, because she flew in from Russia to help with the birth of the baby. They were all excited. On May 3rd, her mom's birthday, she gave birth to a baby girl. Everyone was elated Well, almost everyone.
Speaker 1:Blake began acting strange. He would turn down the air so it would get extremely cold. He would close all the blinds and doors and when Iona complained about it being too cold for her and the baby, he told her go spend the night with your mom. Oh well, yeah, which she did on a couple of occasions. When she would return, another fight would begin. So they did start fighting. Yeah, they started fighting, and it was during this time that Blake's friends said he became dark, but they didn't explain why or what they meant.
Speaker 1:After the murder, the detective stated that Blake was totally emotionless. His friend came to see him in jail and told him that they were going to hire the best defense attorneys, but he was dumbfounded when blake didn't realize how much trouble he was into. Blake thought he would be out that day. Yeah, he probably thought he could buy his way out of it. Yeah, now he ended up firing all the high profile attorneys, saying that none of them didn't give a shit about him. They just wanted his family's money and he wasn't going to give it to him. Instead, he hired the public defender. Yeah, that's laughable, I know.
Speaker 1:Now this didn't turn out well. That's arrogant too. Yeah, arrogant, yeah, uh. So it didn't turn out well. But I'm not sure what any defense lawyer could do, despite how much money you had. But then again I think of the oj simpson case and that makes me question what I just said. Yeah, I bet I mean. Then there's that. Yeah, uh, one friend thought that blake had been set up by the russian mafia. Now that should tell you something. It was easier for him to believe that than knowing that his friend tortured his wife and killed her. That's disassociation to its finest.
Speaker 1:But now ionis family loved blake. They described him as a gentle person. Outgoing had no idea whatsoever that she was in danger. Actually, no one did. No one had a clue, no suspicions. No, it's almost like that's what makes it so damning, like that's insane. Yeah, it's almost as if, like he loses his mother and the spiral starts. You know he has a new baby. That adds stress. His brother is dealings with the people that he was with and then he gets with this new chick and then she has a baby and it's like, I don't know, it's almost the perfect storm. I know, I don't know like what flipped the switch, but it had to send him in some kind of psychosis. But either way, he's a danger to society all the way around. Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely, but it was nuts, because the friends was like they thought, you know, he actually thought he was going to get out of jail that day, like he had no idea how much trouble he was in. They're like dude, you're fucked. He was really really like not getting what he did. Yeah, so I don't know if he just wasn't getting what he did or he was so arrogant that he thought he could get out of it. Like you know a lot of.
Speaker 1:I would love to hear any of his testimony. I'd like to hear what he has to say for himself. Yeah, I don't think he said anything. Um, cell phone records show that blake was at home when, when Olga had called the police to do those welfare checks on her, she had called and they had came a total of three times to Iona's apartment. It showed that he used Iona's phone to place two food orders in the middle of the night on two separate occasions, requesting that they leave the food at the door and not turn the doorbell. It also showed where he called mr green to come to his aid. Now, he never said why he did what he did. Now the prosecutors state that they think he done it, because ayana was spending all of her time with the baby and not enough time with him and he was jealous. I don't think that.
Speaker 1:I think he planned this crap. Yeah, I think I think he groomed her, he lured her, he married her. He didn't marry her. Well, was going to marry, yeah, was going to marry her. But it lured her with the possibility of marriage and, just like, made himself out to be this perfect rich guy and she thought she hit the jackpot. And I mean, she probably wasn't hurting on her own either. No, she was gorgeous, yeah, and she was gorgeous. I mean, she could have had whoever she wanted. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was also educated, yeah, and so he came off like this really eccentric. He was a different kind of rich guy, you know, and he was creative and she was probably attracted to that and it just was.
Speaker 1:It was the perfect storm had to be, yeah, you know, but I just feel like in my gut that dude planned this. He wrote a whole novel about it. Yeah, I mean, I I honestly think that it was something that he has wanted to do for a long time. He knew it was wrong, the best way he could live out. His fantasy was a book and he probably really loved his wife. Yeah, that's probably why he left her. Yeah, because he wanted to act this out, because he had the urges to act it out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now, these are our speculations. Right, that's my personal opinion. Like we said, these are our opinions. Yeah, but I do I honestly think that he just got, you know, the urges were so strong. It would make sense why he would divorce his wife? Because that's the mother of his children.
Speaker 1:But now he, you know, she also was the mother of one of his child. You know, his, his baby. Yeah, you know, but I wonder if I don't. That baby was ever part of the plan? Probably not, and I honestly think that he didn't have the attachment to her as he did his first wife. So that would have made it easier to dissociate with what he was doing. Yeah, what he did. God, it's giving me chills right now, like I can feel it going up the back of my neck.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but now, you know, we don't know why and unless he ever tells us, we'll never know right, but in court he was found guilty on three of four counts. He was guilty of aggravated mayhem, torture and murder. Now the assault with the intent to commit a felony was dismissed. The case did have special circumstances and on june 26, 2018, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on all counts in a two-year consecutive term for the deadly weapon. You mean he didn't get the death penalty? No, why? I don't know. I don't know why they didn't pursue that. Um, he also has to pay restitution and their baby girl is with iona's mother, olga, and her sister in ukraine. Her mother had to miss iona's funeral because she had to be in court to deal with the man who took her away. Oh my, my god, are you kidding me? No, they couldn't reschedule that. I know that's. That's the really sad part, you know. Yet again, one more piece of injustice. But that wraps up this episode of the Ravenven knocks.
Speaker 1:I hope you enjoyed it. Please like, subscribe and support the show. Thank you for those who already do. I appreciate it so much. We also launched a new website. If you go to wwwsouthern sass productions dot com, you will find us there. You can also email us. We are going to have blogs posted in the future and hopefully one day we'll have some merchandise. If we can make a little money. Yay, we've been working hard on it. Yes, so until next time you guys stay out of rest stops and be safe. Stay safe, guys. Peace out.
