The Murder of Lynda McClelland
For this case I watched the fourth episode of Gone, and yes, I skipped the third episode. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Devil Among Us.’
A 44-year-old old mother and grandmother goes missing.
Background
Lynda McClelland met her husband 25 years earlier, while they were in high school. He joined the Army, and she traveled with him. They eventually had two daughters Amanda in 1976, and an unnamed daughter 13 months later.
Lynda was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. She would disappear for weeks at a time. It put a strain on her marriage, and they eventually divorced. Lynda moved to Forest Hills, Pennsylvania, to be closer to her parents. She eventually became healthy, she took her medication, had a job, and was able to pay her bills.
Lynda was described as an amazing mother, grandmother, and all around great person. She would do anything for the people she loved.
Lynda McClelland
The Disappearance
In the spring of 2000, Lynda’s daughter Amanda, was pregnant with her third child. Lynda loved her grandchildren, and was excited that a third one was on the way.
On July 27, 2000, Amanda said it was like any other day. She woke up, and made the kids breakfast.
Around 11am, Lynda’s boyfriend Nate, knocked on Amanda’s door. He said they had an argument the previous night, and he went over to her house to speak to her. Nate said that he thought something was really wrong. Amanda told Nate to give Lynda some space, and knew that Lynda wanted to break up with him.
Amanda wasn’t worried, until she tried calling Lynda, and didn’t get an answer. Lynda worked as a server at a local restaurant, but Amanda knew she wasn’t scheduled to work that day.
Amanda went over to Lynda’s. The door was locked, which was unusual. Lynda kept her place unlocked, just in case her family needed anything while she was gone. Lynda’s purse and keys were inside the home, but the phone was missing, and the wire had been cut.
Amanda went to the police station to file a missing persons report. When the police told her that she had to wait 48 hours, Amanda told them about Lynda’s mental illness, and the report was filed.
The Investigation
The Forest Hills police asked Amanda some questions about Lynda. Amanda did tell them that Lynda had a history of running away, due to her mental illness, but that she had been very stable the last few years.
Amanda also told the police about visiting her mom the night before. Nate had called her, and said that Lynda had been throwing glass around her house.
Amanda and her husband Dave arrived to check on Lynda. Lynda appeared to be okay, and had just dropped a glass that had been sitting on a shelf. Amanda knew that Lynda and Nate’s relationship wasn’t good, and she told him to leave her mom alone.
The police searched Lynda’s home. The house was in disarray, and Amanda told them that Lynda often kept the house very clean. There was some dried cleaning product in the sink, and they noticed the cut phone wire. The phone base, and phone were missing, but Lynda’s purse and keys were still there. There was no trace of blood inside the home.
Lynda’s family searched the wooded areas in between Lynda and Amanda’s homes, and they put together some reward money.
The Boyfriend
The police went to question Nate. He made several odd statements to the police, and to Amanda. He told the police that he believed Lynda had just taken a walk in the woods. He also said that Lynda had told him about a dream that she had, about a man digging a hole in her backyard.
Amanda said she was suspicious about Nate. He would look at pictures of Lynda, and apologize. He would also apologize to her, but not tell her what he was apologizing for.
Nate consented to a search of his home. There was nothing found to suggest that he was involved. Nate was odd, but he seemed to really care for Lynda. He was eventually ruled out as a person of interest.
Possible Signs of Lynda
During his questioning, Nate also suggested to the police that Lynda had committed suicide. Dave, Amanda’s husband, also said that was possible.
Lynda had apparently talked about jumping off a well known bridge in the area, which was known because people had committed suicide before. The bridge was very high, and it overlooked a narrow body of water. After a thorough search, nothing was found to suggest Lynda had harmed herself.
In August 2000, after Lynda had been missing about a week, a witness said they had seen Lynda on a walking trail. The walking trail was in an adjacent county.
Lieutenant Robert Opferman talked to several witnesses, and searched the area. He passed Lynda’s photo around, and another witness said that the woman she had seen worked at a local restaurant.
Lt. Opferman was stunned to see that the woman could have been Lynda’s twin. However, she was younger than Lynda was. He had to contact Amanda to tell her that it wasn’t Lynda.
Two weeks after Lynda disappeared, Amanda’s son’s birthday came and went. She knew then that Lynda was most likely not coming home. She would’ve never missed the chance to call or see her grandchildren, especially on special occasions.
A Double Life
Amanda had her third child about 8 months after Lynda disappeared. The case went very cold, and there were no knew leads. Lt. Opferman and Amanda stayed in contact, and he promised that he would eventually find out what happened to her mom.
On March 30, 2002, Amanda was getting her kids ready for Easter at her in-laws home. Dave was supposed to be out getting Easter baskets, when she received a call from his mom. She told her that Dave had been arrested, and that it was on the news.
Dave Repasky was arrested, and charged with criminal trespassing and burglary. He was 1 of 10 people arrested for being part of a burglary ring. These men would go down in roofs of people’s homes, and steal money, safes, and anything else they could get their hands on.
Dave became an informant. Two other men, DJ Wall and Doug Hubbard were arrested and charged with multiple counts of burglary.
A Confession
When they were arrested, they knew that Dave had been the one to turn on them. DJ told the police that Dave had done something that he hadn’t told the police about. DJ said that Dave had been the one to kill Lynda.
DJ said that on July 27, 2000, Dave had called him in the early morning hours. When he arrived at Lynda’s, she was dead. DJ said that Dave had been drinking, and went to have sex with Lynda. Dave told him that he and Lynda had been having an affair, and he snapped when Lynda told him that she was going to tell her daughter.
Dave punched Lynda, strangled her, and then stepped on her neck, until she died. DJ then helped Dave bury Lynda’s body on a property near his grandmother’s home.
DJ agreed to take the police to the location of Lynda’s body. Lt. Opferman contacted Amanda, and told her that her husband had been the one to kill her mom.
The Conviction
On March 17, 2003, Dave was charged with the murder of Lynda McClelland.
Lynda’s family never believed that she ever had sex with Dave. They believe that Lynda somehow found out about his double life, and that his double life would harm them, especially Amanda and their kids.
At Dave’s trial, he maintained his innocence. DJ was the star witness for the prosecution. Dave showed no emotion when his former friend testified.
Dave’s defense said that he was being framed. He had testified in the burglary ring case, and now was going to pay for something he didn’t do.
Dave Repasky was eventually found guilty of murder, and was sentenced to life in prison.
For providing evidence, DJ Wall was never charged in connection to the crime.
Amanda has since divorced Dave.
Dave Repasky
FINAL THOUGHT
What a monster. He’s a sick person to lie about something, and try to destroy a person’s reputation. There’s no way I believe that he and Lynda had an affair. He was probably caught stealing something, Lynda confronted him about his lifestyle, and he wanted revenge.
Dave deserves to rot in prison, and to never be in contact with Amanda or their kids again. I hope they are doing well despite everything that they have been through. Amanda is a strong ass woman, and I applaud her for being able to get through all of this, and get justice for Lynda.
Sources
https://old.post-gazette.com/neigh_east/20030318arrest0318p1.asp
https://www.imdb.com/news/ni61406789
https://archive.triblive.com/news/lawyer-client-being-framed-for-in-laws-murder/
https://archive.triblive.com/news/lawyer-client-being-framed-for-in-laws-murder/
https://archive.triblive.com/news/man-testifies-he-buried-woman-at-friends-request/
