01312007 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Rape Allegation - Holland PD

Officer Kenneth DeKleine [Holland PD]: Allgations that he sexually molested his estranged wife [Lori DeKleine] while she was sleeping and on sleep medications.

Allegations were never criminally investigated by the Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed. After Lori's murder the Holland Police Chief stated that he had never reviewed Lori's PPO.

In January 2008, Officer DeKleine murdered Lori. He was convicted in July 2008 and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 31, 2007, Lori DeKleine obtained a personal protective order against her ex-husband [Officer Kenneth DeKleine]

In her PPO request, Lori wrote about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Officer DeKleine, including a December 2006 incident where she was molested while on sleep medications.

A copy of Lori DeKleine's PPO was sent to Ken DeKleine's employer: The Holland Police Department.

However, Chief John Kruithoff [Holland PD], never criminally investigated Lori's claims that Officer DeKleine had raped her.

After Lori was murdered by Officer DeKleine [January 10, 2008] Chief Kruithoff admitted that he didn't even know what was contained in Lori's personal protective order [that had been filed with his police department in January 2007]

COP'S WIFE LORI DEKLEINE TERRIFIED [CHANNEL 8]

OFFICER DEKLEINE CHARGED FOR KILLING WIFE LORI [CHANNEL 8 NEWS]

Officer Ken DeKleine [Holland PD]: MURDER OF LORI DEKLEINE [January 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html






Officer Arraigned For Wife's Murder
WWMT Channel 3 News/ Kalamazoo
January 14, 2008 - 4:29PM
http://www.wwmt.com/news/holland_1346237___article.html/officer_ken.html

HOLLAND (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A 13-year-veteran of the Holland Police Department has been arraigned on Open Murder charges for the death of his wife.

It all started on Thursday evening when Holland Police were called to the home of Officer Ken DeKleine on an emergency medical call. The Officer's estranged wife, Lori DeKleine, had been found unresponsive in the basement by one of the couple's two children.

After autopsy results came back and police conducted many interviews, Officer DeKleine was arrested on Open Murder charges Friday evening.

Professionally, everything seemed alright for the DeKleines. Ken was a well-liked community policing officer with the Holland Police Department, and Lori worked part-time for their church Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church.

But on a personal level, their was a lot of strain on their relationship. Even before Newschannel 3 profiled Officer DeKleine in 2005 as he prepared to head over to Iraq to train officers, a neighbor says the couple had filed for divorce. "Yeah, we were aware of it, Ken shared his frustration with that," said Holland Police Chief John Kruithoff.

Lori had filed a personal protection order against Ken in January of '07. In it, a number of restrictions were listed, stating that DeKleine was prohibited from entering the couple's house, stalking Lori, or threatening her, verbally or physically. The PPO was filed with Holland Police, the very place where Ken continued to work as an officer.

On Thursday, the discovery of Lori's body happened while Ken was on duty and at a training exercise. "He was made aware of the call, obviously officers intervened before, he did not get into the house or anything," said Chief Kruithoff.

Less than 24 hours later, Ken was in jail, awaiting arraignment on the murder charges. Now the attention has turned to helping the couple's two teenage children, may end up losing both parents.

"There's a lot of grief and both sides of the family have come together, just trying to make the right decisions and do the right things to take care of the kids," said a family spokesperson. Lori's funeral was held Monday afternoon at Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church.







Police: DeKleine confessed to strangling wife; personal protection order reveals new details
WZZM News, Channel 13
Created: 1/14/2008 2:19:36 PM
Updated: 1/14/2008 6:59:54 PM
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=86211

Holland - Police documents released today say Holland Police officer Ken DeKleine confessed to strangling his wife to death.DeKleine was formally charged on open murder charges this afternoon in Ottawa County District Court.

Investigators found the body of his wife, Lori, in the couple's Holland home on Thursday. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Department says Holland Police turned the case over to them. After sheriff's investigators reviewed the evidence and received information from Lori DeKleine's autopsy, they arrested her husband.

In an arrest warrant released today, police say they questioned DeKleine three times and that he confessed during the third interrogation. The warrant says DeKleine strangled his wife, using a strap around her neck. Investigators say DeKleine placed her body in the home's basement in an attempt to make her death appear to be a suicide. In the warrant, investigators say they recovered blood from the scene and presume it belongs to DeKleine. They say he claimed he was bitten on his lip by his wife.

DeKleine was arrested Friday afternoon after the Ottawa County Sheriff was called to assist Holland Police Thursday night after her body was found.

A Personal Protection Order has been in place since January 31, 2007 against DeKleine and there have been violations of that PPO.

Our partner the Grand Haven Tribune has obtained a copy of the personal protection order. It was filed on January 31st, 2007 and quotes Lori DeKleine. She says, "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," referring to Holland Police Officer, Ken DeKleine.

In the protection order, Lori DeKleine claims she was coerced into sexual acts on several occasions during their marriage and molested while on sleep medications.

She also says, “Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon,” DeKleine went on to say, “His behavior continues to stifle my well-being and safety.”

We will continue to follow this story on WZZM 13 News at 11pm and you can also read more in tomorrow's Grand Haven Tribune.






Victim was terrified of her husband, records show
Grand Haven Tribune
Chris Epplett
Tue, Jan 15, 2008

Lori DeKleine was aware of the danger signs around her. "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," she wrote in a personal protection order filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Jan. 31, 2007, against her husband, Holland police officer Ken DeKleine...

In the protection order, Lori DeKleine cites three specific incidents in mid-December 2006 and early January 2007. She claimed she was coerced into sexual acts on several occasions during their marriage and molested while on sleep medications. "Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon... His behavior continues to stifle my well-being and safety"...

The final straw that apparently led to the filing of the protection order was an episode during the last weekend of January 2007, while the couple was still living together. "I believe Ken broke into the locked room I have been sleeping in to stay safe," she said. "I believe he broke in through the window in the room, leaving glass all over the bed and blood stains throughout the room and house"... Lori DeKleine wrote that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom. "The next week Ken told me I was 'under investigation,'... I was afraid that he might harm himself or return and harm me," she wrote.

The initial incident that Lori DeKleine specified in the protection order was an unexpected visit in December 2006. She claimed Ken, his brother Keith, and a friend named Mike Dozeman came to the house, and Ken began reciting Lori's previous friendships and journal entries to discredit her in front of their two children...

Terms of the divorce, mostly concerning child custody, kept the case open through the end of the year. The original terms called for joint custody of the children, but Lori did not want to oblige, which sent the case to the county Friend of the Court for a ruling. By this point, court records show, the DeKleine children wanted nothing to do with their father...


Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html

01312007 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Tape Recorder Planted - Holland PD

Officer Kenneth DeKleine [Holland PD]: Allgations that he placed recording devices in his ex-wife's [Lori's] backpack, on her phone, and under clothing in her bedroom.


Allegations were never criminally investigated by the Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed. After Lori's murder the Holland Police Chief stated that he had never reviewed Lori's PPO.

In January 2008, Officer DeKleine murdered Lori. He was convicted in July 2008 and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 31, 2007, Lori DeKleine obtained a personal protective order against her ex-husband [Officer Kenneth DeKleine]. A copy of Lori's PPO was filed with her ex husband's police department / the Holland PD.

Lori DeKleine wrote in her PPO that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom.

Although the Holland PD received a copy of Lori's PPO, they never criminally investigated Lori's claims that Officer Kenneth DeKleine had illegally planted listening / recording devices on Lori / at Lori's home.

Holland Police Officer Jose Mendoza testified at Officer Kenneth DeKleine's trial [for the murder of Lori], that he was aware that Officer DeKleine had placed a tape recorder in Lori's backpack [just as Lori had claimed in her PPO].

Holland Police Officer John Weatherwax testified at Officer Kenneth DeKleine's trial [for the murder of Lori], that Ken had admitted to him that he had placed a tape recorder in Lori's backpack [just as Lori had claimed in her PPO].

However, Chief John Kruithoff [Holland PD], never criminally investigated Lori's claims that Officer DeKleine was illegally recording her. After Lori was murdered by Officer DeKleine [January 10, 2008] Chief Kruithoff admitted that he didn't even know what was contained in Lori's personal protective order [that had been filed with his police department in January 2007]

COP'S WIFE LORI DEKLEINE TERRIFIED [CHANNEL 8]

OFFICER DEKLEINE CHARGED FOR KILLING WIFE LORI [CHANNEL 8 NEWS]

Officer Ken DeKleine [Holland PD]: MURDER OF LORI DEKLEINE [January 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html






Victim was 'terrified' of husband, records show
Holland Sentinel
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/011508/local_20080115002.shtml

Lori DeKleine was aware of the danger signs around her, according to court records.

"I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," she wrote in a personal protection order filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Jan. 31, 2007, against her husband, Holland police Officer Ken DeKleine.

Less than one year later, Lori DeKleine, 43, was found strangled Thursday night in the basement of her Holland home.

"Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon," she wrote.

Lori DeKleine indicated she wanted to prohibit her husband from purchasing or possessing a firearm, but noted: "I do not object to his use of a firearm while he is on duty at Holland Police Department."

The final straw that apparently led to the protection order filing was an episode during the weekend of Jan. 27, 2007, while the couple was still living together.

"I believe Ken broke into the locked room I have been sleeping in to stay safe," she said. "I believe he broke in through the window in the room, leaving glass all over the bed and blood stains throughout the room and house."

Lori DeKleine wrote that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom.

She also wrote in the order that shortly after Ken returned from Iraq in February 2006 where he had been part of a group training Iraqi police, he became even more angry and controlling.

"I was afraid that he might harm himself or return and harm me," she wrote.

Ottawa County records indicate Ken DeKleine filed for divorce on Jan. 8, 2007. Meanwhile, a notice of the protection order was sent to Holland Police Department the day it was filed, court records show.

Terms of the divorce, mostly concerning child custody, kept the case open through the end of the year. The original terms called for joint custody of the children, but Lori did not want to oblige, which sent the case to Friend of the Court for a ruling, according to court records.






Officer testifies that DeKleine put tape recorder in wife's backpack
Posted by John Tunison
Grand Rapids Press
July 09, 2008 15:28PM
http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/officer_testifies_that_deklein.html

GRAND HAVEN -- Testimony today revealed that former Holland police officer Ken DeKleine had talked with many co-workers about his marital troubles, even telling one that he put a recorder in his wife's backpack.

"He was very open about it," Officer Jose Mendoza said, testifying about how DeKleine had mentioned that his estranged wife had gotten a personal protection order against him.

DeKleine told Mendoza he thought his wife was having an inappropriate relationship with her therapist and was upset about it.

"He felt the therapist was brainwashing her and taking advantage of her. He was trying to get that to come to light so (the therapist) would lose his license."

Mendoza testified DeKleine was frustrated because court dates for his pending divorce and to rescind the protection order were continually being pushed back.

DeKleine is on trial, charged with murdering Lori DeKleine in her home on Jan. 10.

Officer John Weatherwax testified DeKleine told him he put some type of recording device in his wife's backpack to try to record information about the relationship with the therapist.



Ex-cop charged in killing spoke of marital discord
Thursday, July 10, 2008
By John Tunison
The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-42/1215695718183640.xml&coll=6

GRAND HAVEN -- Ken DeKleine's broken marriage and frustrations over the divorce process and his estranged wife were almost common knowledge among many Holland police officers.

"He was very open about it," Officer Jose Mendoza said.

Mendoza was one of a handful of officers who testified Wednesday in DeKleine's murder trial.

Mendoza recalled hearing DeKleine talk about his problems, including a time he told one officer about planting a recording device in his wife's backpack before she visited her therapist.

By many accounts, the veteran officer believed his wife, Lori DeKleine, was romantically involved with her therapist and he wanted to get the man's state license revoked. Several said DeKleine seemed obsessed with the issue.

No one thought DeKleine would kill her, though, as prosecutors claim.

During the second day of DeKleine's trial, police witnesses talked about how De-Kleine acted in the hours after prosecutors say he strangled Lori DeKleine with a nylon strap Jan. 10. He was at work later that day -- before anyone had discovered Lori DeKleine's body -- in a police training session that included teaching officers how to put suspects in a choke hold.

Fellow officers noticed a cut on his lip mended with stitches, but he told them the lid from a cast iron Dutch oven fell on him as he tried to retrieve it from a shelf. Prosecutors say the real cause was his wife biting Officers who trained with DeKleine that afternoon noticed little change in his demeanor.

Officer John Weatherwax testified DeKleine earlier confided in him about his frustrations, particularly that his wife had a personal protection order against him.

"He thought the PPO was wrongly obtained," Weatherwax said.

Weatherwax said DeKleine mentioned putting a recorder in his wife's backpack to "get information" about the relationship his wife had with the therapist.

Prosecutors say DeKleine's anger about the January 2007 order, a custody battle over their two teen children and the issue with the therapist all set DeKleine off.

While DeKleine complained about his wife's alleged relationship, testimony showed he had a romantic relationship even before he filed for divorce.

Richelle VanderWal testified she was getting a divorce from her husband, a former Holland police officer, when she started a relationship with DeKleine in fall 2007. They kept it secret.

Police said Lori DeKleine's body was placed in her basement to look like a suicide, with a dangling strap tossed over some rafters.

Ottawa County Medical Examiner Dr. David Start said Wednesday that Lori DeKleine died from an assault and strangulation. He noted bruises on her body.

Detectives who interviewed Ken DeKleine in the first few hours after his wife's body was found said he denied any involvement. When investigators confronted him about blood-splattered clothing in the garage attic, he claimed he left it there while working on a vent in summer 2006 and had cut himself.

Sheriff's Detective Tom Knapp told DeKleine gloves were found, but never said what type. DeKleine volunteered that his son left "medical gloves" up there after playing with them, the exact kind found by police. him as he strangled her.

Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html

01312007 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Abuse of Power Allegation - Holland PD

Officer Kenneth DeKleine [Holland PD]: Allgations that Officer DeKleine was abusing his position as a police officer and using his position to intimidate his ex-wife, when he falsely claimed to Lori that she was being investigated.


Allegations were never criminally investigated by the Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed. After Lori's murder the Holland Police Chief stated that he had never reviewed Lori's PPO.


In January 2008, Officer DeKleine murdered Lori. He was convicted in July 2008 and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 31, 2007, Lori DeKleine obtained a personal protective order against her ex-husband [Officer Kenneth DeKleine]. A copy of Lori's PPO was filed with her ex husband's police department / the Holland PD.

Lori DeKleine wrote in her PPO that her ex-husband / Officer Kenneth DeKleine had informed her that she was under [police] investigation.

However, Chief John Kruithoff [Holland PD], never investigated Lori's claims that Officer DeKleine was intimidating her through misuse of his police position.

After Lori was murdered by Officer DeKleine [January 10, 2008] Chief Kruithoff admitted that he didn't even know what was contained in Lori's personal protective order [that had been filed with his police department in January 2007].

COP'S WIFE LORI DEKLEINE TERRIFIED [CHANNEL 8]

OFFICER DEKLEINE CHARGED FOR KILLING WIFE LORI [CHANNEL 8 NEWS]

Officer Ken DeKleine [Holland PD]: MURDER OF LORI DEKLEINE [January 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html






Victim was terrified of her husband, records show
Grand Haven Tribune
Chris Epplett
Tue, Jan 15, 2008
Lori DeKleine was aware of the danger signs around her. "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," she wrote in a personal protection order filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Jan. 31, 2007, against her husband, Holland police officer Ken DeKleine...

In the protection order, Lori DeKleine cites three specific incidents in mid-December 2006 and early January 2007. She claimed she was coerced into sexual acts on several occasions during their marriage and molested while on sleep medications. "Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon... His behavior continues to stifle my well-being and safety"...

The final straw that apparently led to the filing of the protection order was an episode during the last weekend of January 2007, while the couple was still living together. "I believe Ken broke into the locked room I have been sleeping in to stay safe," she said. "I believe he broke in through the window in the room, leaving glass all over the bed and blood stains throughout the room and house"...

Lori DeKleine wrote that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom. "The next week Ken told me I was 'under investigation,'...

I was afraid that he might harm himself or return and harm me," she wrote. The initial incident that Lori DeKleine specified in the protection order was an unexpected visit in December 2006. She claimed Ken, his brother Keith, and a friend named Mike Dozeman came to the house, and Ken began reciting Lori's previous friendships and journal entries to discredit her in front of their two children...

Terms of the divorce, mostly concerning child custody, kept the case open through the end of the year. The original terms called for joint custody of the children, but Lori did not want to oblige, which sent the case to the county Friend of the Court for a ruling. By this point, court records show, the DeKleine children wanted nothing to do with their father...

Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html

01312007 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Abuse Allegation - Holland PD

Officer Kenneth DeKleine [Holland PD]: Allgations that Officer DeKleine had abused his ex-wife Lori so severly that she feared for her life.


Allegations were never criminally investigated by the Holland PD, where Lori's PPO was filed. After Lori's murder the Holland Police Chief stated that he had never reviewed Lori's PPO.

In January 2008, Officer DeKleine murdered Lori. He was convicted in July 2008 and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 31, 2007, Lori DeKleine obtained a personal protective order against her ex-husband [Officer Kenneth DeKleine]. A copy of Lori's PPO was filed with her ex husband's police department / the Holland PD.

In her PPO, Lori wrote, "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life..."

At Officer Ken DeKleine's trial [for murdering Lori], Holland Reserve Officer Brian Ehler stated that Ken had told him [prior to Lori's murder] that the children would be better off without Lori.

Officer Brian Ehler also testified about a discussion he had with Officer DeKleine, prior to Lori's murder...."I do recall Ken saying something about strangling someone could be, probably, a practice that would be difficult to investigate..."

One day before Officer Kenneth DeKleine murdered Lori, Reserve Officer Brian Ehler had a conversation with Ken. Officer Ehler informed Officer DeKleine that he had heard from others that Lori expressed a fear for her life. Officer Dekleine did not respond to the question. Nor did he deny Officer Ehler's claim...

However, Chief John Kruithoff [Holland PD], never investigated Lori's claims that Officer DeKleine had abused her/ violated criminal laws...and that he was possibly a threat to her. After Lori was murdered by Officer DeKleine [January 10, 2008] Chief Kruithoff admitted that he didn't even know what was contained in Lori's personal protective order [that had been filed with his police department in January 2007].

COP'S WIFE LORI DEKLEINE TERRIFIED [CHANNEL 8]

OFFICER DEKLEINE CHARGED FOR KILLING WIFE LORI [CHANNEL 8 NEWS]

Officer Ken DeKleine [Holland PD]: MURDER OF LORI DEKLEINE [January 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html









Slain wife feared officer, friend says
Sunday, January 13, 2008
By John Tunison and John Agar
The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-40/1200208554281170.xml&coll=6

HOLLAND -- To neighbors and fellow officers, Holland police Officer Ken DeKleine was almost perfect -- polite, sociable, a devoted Christian and good at his job.

But to his estranged wife, he had become a threatening presence, a friend and neighbor of Lori DeKleine said.

"I know she was scared of him and didn't want him in the house," said Victoria Paauwe, devastated after learning late Thursday that Lori DeKleine, 43, was found dead in her basement.

She was so concerned she had a personal protection order against her husband, a 13-year respected police veteran now facing a murder charge in a slaying that has stunned the community.

The order was supposed to keep him away, although Paauwe remembered one instance when he came too close to the Calvin Avenue home and police were called to the scene.

"This is just mind-blowing," Paauwe said. "I think there had been some pushing and shoving, but I never thought it would come to this."

Ken DeKleine, 44, was the father of two teens with his wife. He was to be arraigned Monday on an open murder charge in Holland District Court.

The news shocked former colleagues, who knew DeKleine as an easygoing cop who could defuse tough situations.

"If somebody would have ever said, 'Is Ken DeKleine even capable of something like that?' I'd have bet him a million dollars, no way," retired Sgt. Mark Bos said. "It's tragic. It's a shame.

Now, we've got two teen-agers and no parents."

With 33 years in police work, Bos figured little could surprise him.

"I was just drained, unbelievable. This was just a tremendous shock." he said.

Lori DeKleine's body was discovered about 6:50 p.m. Thursday by her teenage son, Christopher, who called 911. Police investigated whether her death might be a suicide, but an autopsy and inconsistencies at the scene pointed at homicide.

Ken DeKleine was arrested late Friday. The cause of death was not released, and Ottawa County Medical Examiner David Start, who performed the autopsy, referred questions to police.

Relatives of the DeKleines were at the couple's home Saturday afternoon to collect clothes and other items for the children, Breanne and Christopher, both Holland Christian High School students. The DeKleines' home is across from Holland Heights Christian Reformed Church, where Lori worked as publications editor and the couple still attended even while separated.

Family members declined comment.

A Holland Heights CRC elder said the congregation was in shock.

Brad Ward said both Lori and Ken were involved in youth and Sunday school programs.

"They were well-respected, a great family. There's a lot of grief right now," he said, asking the community to pray for the family.

Lori was a member of Focus Plus, a support group for attention-deficit disorder, served on the Holland Christian Schools Tuition Assistance Board and had been a teacher at Borculo Christian School.

Ken DeKleine moved out of the family's home sometime after December 2006, neighbor Victoria Paauwe said. She said she believed the personal protection order was issued the next summer.

"I don't think he wanted the divorce," said Paauwe, who also described Ken as a "nice guy" and the first person to greet her when she moved in 18 months ago.

Services for Lori DeKleine are 1 p.m. Monday at Holland Heights CRC, 836 E. Eighth St. Visitation is 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. today at the church.

Memorial contributions can be made to the DeKleine children's education fund.



Police: DeKleine confessed to strangling wife; personal protection order reveals new details
WZZM News, Channel 13
Created: 1/14/2008 2:19:36 PM
Updated: 1/14/2008 6:59:54 PM
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=86211

Holland - Police documents released today say Holland Police officer Ken DeKleine confessed to strangling his wife to death.DeKleine was formally charged on open murder charges this afternoon in Ottawa County District Court.

Investigators found the body of his wife, Lori, in the couple's Holland home on Thursday.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Department says Holland Police turned the case over to them. After sheriff's investigators reviewed the evidence and received information from Lori DeKleine's autopsy, they arrested her husband.

In an arrest warrant released today, police say they questioned DeKleine three times and that he confessed during the third interrogation.

The warrant says DeKleine strangled his wife, using a strap around her neck. Investigators say DeKleine placed her body in the home's basement in an attempt to make her death appear to be a suicide.

In the warrant, investigators say they recovered blood from the scene and presume it belongs to DeKleine. They say he claimed he was bitten on his lip by his wife.DeKleine was arrested Friday afternoon after the Ottawa County Sheriff was called to assist Holland Police Thursday night after her body was found. A Personal Protection Order has been in place since January 31, 2007 against DeKleine and there have been violations of that PPO.

Our partner the Grand Haven Tribune has obtained a copy of the personal protection order. It was filed on January 31st, 2007 and quotes Lori DeKleine. She says, "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," referring to Holland Police Officer, Ken DeKleine.

In the protection order, Lori DeKleine claims she was coerced into sexual acts on several occasions during their marriage and molested while on sleep medications.

She also says, “Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon,” DeKleine went on to say, “His behavior continues to stifle my well-being and safety.”

We will continue to follow this story on WZZM 13 News at 11pm and you can also read more in tomorrow's Grand Haven Tribune.



Victim was terrified of her husband, records show
Grand Haven Tribune
Chris Epplett
Tue, Jan 15, 2008

Lori DeKleine was aware of the danger signs around her. "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," she wrote in a personal protection order filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Jan. 31, 2007, against her husband, Holland police officer Ken DeKleine...

In the protection order, Lori DeKleine cites three specific incidents in mid-December 2006 and early January 2007. She claimed she was coerced into sexual acts on several occasions during their marriage and molested while on sleep medications. "Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon... His behavior continues to stifle my well-being and safety"...

The final straw that apparently led to the filing of the protection order was an episode during the last weekend of January 2007, while the couple was still living together. "I believe Ken broke into the locked room I have been sleeping in to stay safe," she said. "I believe he broke in through the window in the room, leaving glass all over the bed and blood stains throughout the room and house"...

Lori DeKleine wrote that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom. "The next week Ken told me I was 'under investigation,'... I was afraid that he might harm himself or return and harm me," she wrote.

The initial incident that Lori DeKleine specified in the protection order was an unexpected visit in December 2006. She claimed Ken, his brother Keith, and a friend named Mike Dozeman came to the house, and Ken began reciting Lori's previous friendships and journal entries to discredit her in front of their two children...

Terms of the divorce, mostly concerning child custody, kept the case open through the end of the year. The original terms called for joint custody of the children, but Lori did not want to oblige, which sent the case to the county Friend of the Court for a ruling. By this point, court records show, the DeKleine children wanted nothing to do with their father...




Officer: DeKleine said kids better off without mother
Second day of testimony continues
By Staff reports
The Holland Sentinel
Posted Jul 09, 2008 @ 12:36 PM
Last update Jul 09, 2008 @ 01:07 PM
http://www.wickedlocal.com/mi-holland/news/x1346880255/Officer-DeKleine-said-kids-better-off-without-mother

Holland, MI —A Holland Police Department reserve officer testified Wednesday, July 9, that he had a conversation with Ken DeKleine in which DeKleine said his two children would be better off without their mother.

DeKleine, 45, a former Holland police officer, is on trial this week in Ottawa County Circuit Court in Grand Haven for allegedly murdering his wife, Lori, 43, in January.

Lori was found dead in the basement of her home at 229 Calvin Ave. on Jan. 10, with a nylon strap tied around her neck.

The cause of her death was determined to be strangulation.

On Wednesday, Reserve Officer Brian Ehler testified that, in a conversation, Ken said Lori was suffering from a mental disorder and that Ken felt the children would be better off without Lori.

Also Wednesday, a coroner testified that there were signs of struggle on Lori’s body that were not consistent with suicide.

Ken is a 13-year veteran of the Holland Police Department.

He and Lori had been in the midst of a divorce at the time of her death, and Ken had moved out of their Calvin Avenue home and filed for divorce in June 2007.

Lori had filed a restraining order against him in January 2007, alleging that she feared for her safety around Ken.

Ken faces life in prison if found guilty of the two charges of first-degree murder and felony murder.



DeKleine trial: 'I know what I was doing'
WOOD-TV
updated July 10, 2008 03:02
By Joe LaFurgey
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25607751/

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) - About a half-dozen Holland police officers who worked alongside Ken DeKleine testified Wednesday at his murder trial.

And a friend of DeKleine's testified DeKleine basically admitted killing his wife during a jail cell chat in May.

One of the officers who took the stand was veteran detective Roger VanLiere. He said DeKleine came to work late on January 10, the day Lori was killed. "There was a look about his face that appeared to be different than what I had seen before from Ken," VanLiere said.

Brian Ehler, a Holland Police Department reserve officer became friends with DeKleine when the now ex-cop was Ehler's training officer at the department.

Ehler said he met with DeKleine in his jail cell just before Mothers Day.

In that meeting, Ehlers said he told DeKleine he wished something could have been done to prevent Lori DeKleine's death.

"Ken's response back to me was, Brian, you can't beat yourself up about this. I know what I was doing," Ehlers said on the stand in Day 2 of the trial.

Ehler also testified about a discussion he had with Ken DeKleine before the murder of his wife.

It centered on a training session Ehler attended, hosted by a local medical examiner, on how to identify strangulation cases.

"During this conversation, I do recall Ken saying something about strangling someone could be, probably, a practice that would be difficult to investigate."

Ehler and DeKleine discussed the DeKleine's marital woes the day before the murder.

Ehler had heard from mutual friends that Lori expressed a fear for her life. Prosecutor Ronald Franz asked what response Ehler got on that question.

"Honestly, I don't remember getting any response," Ehler said. "I think we went on to a different subject, but there was no direct response."

"He didn't deny it?"

"No," Ehler said.

In earlier testimony Wednesday, it didn't take long for the medical examiner to determine Lori DeKleine did not commit suicide.

Dr. David Start testified he would have challenged the notion Lori killed herself.

DeKleine reportedly told detectives he killed his estranged wife but tried to make it look like a suicide.

Start, the Kent County medical examiner, said marks caused by a strap placed around her neck showed signs of a struggle that were inconsistent with suicide.

He said internal neck injuries, such as she had, are also not usually found in a suicide.

Thursday, DeKleine's videotaped confession is expected to be played in court.

24 Hour News 8 will continue to follow this trial.


Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html


Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html

01272007 - Officer Ken DeKleine - Breaking & Entering - Holland PD

Officer Kenneth Dekleine [Holland PD]  broke into his estranged wife's [Lori] bedroom. Lori called the police but they claimed they could not do anything to protect  her, because it was a civil matter.

In January 2008, Officer DeKleine murdered Lori. He was convicted in July 2008 and sentenced to life in prison.

On January 07, 2007, Officer Dekleine filed for divorce from his wife, Lori. Officer Dekleine remained living in the marital home....

....For her own protection from Kenneth, Lori moved into another bedroom [which she kept locked]. On the weekend of January 27th, Lori returned home to find that Kenneth had broken into her bedroom through the window. The police claimed that it was a civil matter and did nothing....

Officer Kenneth Dekleine's murder of Lori [January 10, 2008]:

http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html






Victim was 'terrified' of husband, records show

Holland Sentinel
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/011508/local_20080115002.shtml

Lori DeKleine was aware of the danger signs around her, according to court records.

"I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life," she wrote in a personal protection order filed in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Jan. 31, 2007, against her husband, Holland police Officer Ken DeKleine.

Less than one year later, Lori DeKleine, 43, was found strangled Thursday night in the basement of her Holland home.

"Ken has been a sexual and emotional bully throughout our marriage, beginning on our honeymoon," she wrote.

Lori DeKleine indicated she wanted to prohibit her husband from purchasing or possessing a firearm, but noted: "I do not object to his use of a firearm while he is on duty at Holland Police Department."

The final straw that apparently led to the protection order filing was an episode during the weekend of Jan. 27, 2007, while the couple was still living together.

"I believe Ken broke into the locked room I have been sleeping in to stay safe," she said. "I believe he broke in through the window in the room, leaving glass all over the bed and blood stains throughout the room and house."

Lori DeKleine wrote that she found several recording devices in her backpack, on their home phone and under some clothing in their bedroom.

She also wrote in the order that shortly after Ken returned from Iraq in February 2006 where he had been part of a group training Iraqi police, he became even more angry and controlling.

"I was afraid that he might harm himself or return and harm me," she wrote.

Ottawa County records indicate Ken DeKleine filed for divorce on Jan. 8, 2007. Meanwhile, a notice of the protection order was sent to Holland Police Department the day it was filed, court records show.

Terms of the divorce, mostly concerning child custody, kept the case open through the end of the year. The original terms called for joint custody of the children, but Lori did not want to oblige, which sent the case to Friend of the Court for a ruling, according to court records.






Slain wife warned friends of her fears

The Grand Rapids Press
Posted by By John Agar and John Tunison
January 15, 2008 10:19AM
HOLLAND -- The end for Lori DeKleine came just as she feared.
Days before her estranged police-officer husband, Ken DeKleine, allegedly slipped into her Holland Heights home and strangled her, she told friends: "You know, if I come up dead, if something happens to me, make sure Ken's investigated."

Her attorney, Holly Verde, recalled the haunting words Monday. She thinks Holland police should have done more to protect her client after Lori DeKleine chronicled allegations of abuse and a break-in at the home the couple once shared on Calvin Avenue.

In a statement she wrote nearly a year ago, Lori DeKleine said: "I have become increasingly terrified and afraid for my life."

Verde said she shuddered when she heard her client apparently killed herself Thursday. She called prosecutors. Ken DeKleine was arrested the next day and was arraigned Monday on a charge of open murder.

As the couple's marriage crumbled, police twice investigated allegations he violated a restraining order, but prosecutors did not find evidence to charge him. Police investigated the break-in, but it was viewed as a civil dispute because the officer, at the time, was not barred from the home.

"If there would have been alarm signs, we would have done something," Chief John Kruithoff said. "I didn't see there was a significant event that went on in his life that would have triggered this. Ken was a very talkative person, everyone's friend. He didn't suppress the fact he was having marital troubles. But, obviously, he suppressed something enough where he committed this."......


Officer Ken DeKleine - Murdered ex-wife Lori - Holland PD [Jan 10, 2008]
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-ken-dekleine-holland-police.html

Officer Ken DeKleine - PPO violations & Abuse allegations
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-dekleine-ppo-violations.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation :January 10, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_10.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: January 08, 2008
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2008/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: September 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/09/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: August 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/08/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, PPO violation: May 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/05/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine, Breaking and entering complaint: January 27, 2007
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he abused Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_3364.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he used recording devices to stalk Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_2294.html

Officer Kenneth Dekleine: Allegations he raped Lori
http://michiganoidv.blogspot.com/2007/01/officer-kenneth-dekleine-holland-pd_31.html