The Murder of Ken MacLennan

For this case I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 13 episode 3, titled ‘Shoot to Thrill.’

A successful businessman is found dead by his teenage son.

Background

Ken MacLennan was born in Canada, on August 28, 1949. He moved around from Canada to Florida, and was living in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with his 17 year old son Jason, at the time of his death. His wife Betty had died from cancer, and according to the episode, Ken abandoned his wife and son while she was sick. Ken’s job differs from the episode and other information I found online, but he often traveled internationally, leaving his son behind.

Ken and Jason didn’t have the best relationship. Jason blamed his dad for abandoning his wife, and moving on with a new woman named Laurence, a Swedish businesswoman. Laurence had moved in with Ken and Jason, and this caused even more tension in the father-son relationship.

The Murder

On January 14, 2003, Jason called 911 to report that his dad had been shot. Jason had arrived home around midnight, took a shower and then went into the kitchen to get something to eat.

The police arrived, and found Ken dead at the bottom of the stairs. He looked like he had been ambushed as he walked down the stairs, wearing only a bathrobe.

Ken had been shot seven times, and had injuries to his temple, chest, throat, hand and back. A gun shot had gone right through his hand when he reached out to try to stop the killer from shooting him. The killer had also taken the time to pick up the .22 shell casings, all except one.

The police believed that the motive was robbery. Ken’s watch, foreign currency and ID cards had all been taken.

The Investigation

At Ken’s autopsy, when the seven shell casings were recovered, they discovered that four different types of ammunition had been used. The police believed that several people were involved, or the killer wanted them to think that.

The police spoke to Jason, since he was the one who found his dad. Jason turned over the clothes he had been wearing that night, they had no blood on them. A gun powder residue test was also done, and it came back negative.

Another suspect was Ken’s fiancee. The police discovered emails between the two of them that proved their wedding was on hold, and that there might have been tension. However, she had been in Switzerland at the time of the murder and was ruled out.

At the crime scene, the police found three different shoe impressions outside the home. Jason told the police that two of the impressions had been from him and a friend. Jason said he wasn’t allowed to smoke in the house, so they were outside at some point during the evening.

The third print was determined to have been from a New York Lugz shoe. The shoes had been sold at several stores in St. Cloud. The shoe impressions went around the back of the home, leading to the front door. However, the shoe prints never left the house.

An Inside Job

After Ken’s case hit the media, several tips came into the police about Jason wanting to have his dad killed.

A female student had told her dad what she heard at school, and he called the police. Several other students told the police that Jason had offered them money if they helped him kill his dad. Everyone said no. All except an “average student” named Matt Moeller.

Matt agreed to give Jason a gun in exchange for money. This information led to a search of Matt’s bedroom, where the police found a .22 caliber rifle. The rifle was taken in for ballistics testing.

The shell casings from the testing were compared against the ones found in Ken’s body. It wasn’t a match, due to abnormal scratches in the gun barrel. Kurt Moline, the firearms examiner, said that someone had intentionally tampered with the barrel.

Matt Moeller was brought in for questioning, and he immediately told the police that he was involved. However, he said that Jason had been the actual shooter. Matt said he couldn’t do it, so Jason told him to go wait in the car. Matt said he heard the gun shots, Jason ran out to return the gun, and he drove home.

Matt also let the police know that he stuck an allen wrench in the barrel of the gun to alter it, and that he and Jason had used four different types of ammunition to kill Ken. The information about the different ammunition was never released to the public.

The Angry Son

After Matt’s confession, Jason was brought in for questioning. He denied any involvement. He stuck with his story, that he found his dad after coming home from a night out.

Another high school student came forward and led the police to the clothing Jason had been wearing when he killed his dad. The clothes were buried on some property owned by Matt’s parents. It was a red plaid shirt, jeans, white socks and a glove. Ken’s credit cards and foreign currency was also found with the clothes.

The clothing, which was confirmed by Jason’s classmates to be his, was tested, and Ken’s DNA was found on the pant leg of the jeans. Jason’s DNA was found in the glove, and gun powder residue was found on it. The gun powder residue was determined to have been from the four different types of ammunition.

There were several accusations of abuse, and reports that both father and son had tempers. Jason had told the police that his dad yelled at him on the day of the murder, and that he had snuck out to meet his friends.

The Convictions

The police knew that Jason and Matt were the killers. There was just one problem, the third set of footprints. They pressured Matt to tell them, by offering him a plea deal. He would plead guilty to second degree murder in exchange for the information.

Matt said the footprints were from his Lugz. He had made the footprints to throw off the police. He turned over his shoes, which he had hid in his basement. They were a match to the crime scene. Matt was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The motive in this case was greed and Jason’s hatred for his dad. Jason pleaded not guilty, but at trial, said he killed his dad in self defense. Jason said that his dad had been abusive to him and his late wife. The jury didn’t believe him, and he was convicted of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Other

Jason has tried to appeal his case, but it was denied in 2005 by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether or not Ken was abusive, he didn’t deserve to be shot seven times. Maybe some people think he did deserve it, but it was never actual confirmed that Ken was abusive. Jason seemed to be a very angry kid, and took his angry towards his dad to the extreme. I believe he truly hated his dad, and the money was far from his mind. He deserves to be locked up forever, and I don’t think anyone would be safe with him out on the street.

Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170789136/kenneth-garfield-maclennan

https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/kenneth-maclennan/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mn-supreme-court/1330921.html

https://www.brainerddispatch.com/sports/son-friend-charged-murder-st-cloud-shooting

https://www.nydailynews.com/os-xpm-2003-01-17-0301170301-story.html