#HerNameWasLibby
Libby Leonard was brutally murdered on October 15th, 2021.
CALL TO ACTION:
You can help us seek justice for Libby and her children by calling the Pennsylvania DA's office at 570-825-1674. The DA needs to be told firmly, albeit politely, that her murder needs to be investigated further. Or the homicide department at 570-459-3890.
We are concerned about several crucial and urgent factors in her case, the utmost being the safety of her children.
Please help us advocate for a full investigation of her murder.
Script:
Hello. I’m calling about the murder of Elizabeth Leonard (Libby) in your county this past weekend. We know the suspect who stabbed her has been arrested, but we think there may be more to this murder than meets the eye. Her husband who she’d been in hiding from made several attempts on her life, including strangulation for which he was on probation and trying to run her over w his car. She was in the address confidentiality program because of his abuse to her and her children. Child welfare confirmed his abuse to the children. He also was litigating custody w her in Monroe county and he badly wanted to take the children from her even though he is dangerous and previous to her killing the court had ordered only limited supervised contact for him w the children. Now that she’s dead he has one of the children in his full care and immediately filed to have full custody. We hope you do a full and rigorous investigation of her murder, as we believe her ex Justin Leonard has a strong motive, has made attempts on her life before, and the children may be in danger.Thank you - Your Name
Criminal Files:
Libby’s comments about it:
“Mr. Leonard was given two years of probation, for a crime that nearly killed me and has forever scared and our son and made him extremely fearful of his father. The Non-Fatal Strangulation was the first of two violent assaults, which showed us as the Victims, what Mr. Leonard was capable of, both which were perpetrated in front of our then six/seven year old son, after which the children and I were held hostage in the Master bedroom for upwards of an hour while Mr. Leonard violently raged, throwing anything he could find at us. I using my body as a shield to protect our son, 6 and daughter, 2, from physical harm, while pleading for our lives and safety. “
And this (to her ex):
“After smacking my head forcefully on the floor and lying there for a minute in confusion with regard to what had just happened, I then stood up and attempted once again to enter our bedroom. You proceeded to grab me aggressively, with both of your hands around my neck and began strangling me violently, cutting off my oxygen several times and to the point I believe I began going in and out of consciousness. I remember initially, fighting, kicking, punching, scratching, and hitting you to get free. I remember, not wanting to hurt you, even though you clearly had no concern for my life in that moment. I remember looking over at Atley sleeping on our bed and begging you to stop! I remember my face and neck felt so hot, my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my skull due to the pressure. Although I clearly remember struggling with you, in an attempt to get free, pulling your hair, gouging your skin, anything I could do to get you to let go! I also have blank spots or short periods of time, which I honestly can’t account for during the struggle, perhaps due to losing consciousness. However, I do remember at one point, hearing [our son], from what sounded like a faraway distance, screaming, crying and pleading with you to stop. Begging you to not kill his Mama! Thank God I heard his pleas to you, his pleas to not kill me, because that is what I credit for my coming to and continuing to fight in that moment. Fighting to stay alive so I could protect our children from you, again clawing and fighting to get free…”
From several court documents and pleadings we have seen, Libby's ex and the father of her children has a motive to kill her, and a history of abusing her. The arrested suspect, who knew the father, had no obvious motive to kill her and no history of attempts on Libby’s life as her ex did.
She wrote to the court on 9/27/21 at her final hearing (though they would not admit it into evidence):
"Please Your Honor, I am pleading with this Court to err on the side of caution here. There is no fixing death Your Honor. Do I think he is capable of killing his own children? I honestly don’t know. I never in a million years would have thought he was capable of nearly killing me, but here we are.
I wasn’t present during the visitation times where the children have disclosed abuse.
Our trauma, PTSD, the children’s intense fear of their father, acceptance into the Address Confidentiality Program and most of all Mr. Leonard’s criminal conviction of Strangulation aren’t in existence because “Nothing Happened” as Mr. Leonard continually claims. There is an extensive basis for all of it. That extensive basis dictates our children are not safe with their father."
Please share and get this in the eyes of as many as possible, as this matter is extremely time-sensitive.
Thank you!
