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Alecia Schmuhl Sentenced To 45 Years

January 23rd, 2017 • Lawsuits & Litigation • 3 minute read
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Author Sara E. Teller

Alecia Schmuhl Sentenced To 45 Years

Virginia ex-lawyer Alecia Schmuhl, age 32, was sentenced in tears to 45 years in prison in a Fairfax County court room last Thursday for the home invasion and attack of her former managing partner and his wife.  Her accomplice, husband Andrew Schmuhl, also a former attorney, is facing two life terms plus 98 years, after five weeks of trial.  Alecia received the maximum sentence under a plea deal with called for 10 to 45 years.On November 9th, 2014, Alecia waited in the couple's car outside while her husband entered the home of attorneys Leo Fisher and his wife, Sue Duncan, and bound and interrogated the homeowners for several hours.  Once Andrew had decided enough was enough, he kicked Leo in the head, stabbed both victims repeatedly, then sliced Fisher's throat and shot Duncan.  He ran out, leaving the couple for dead.  However, both miraculously survived to tell law enforcement what happened, although they will experience lifelong trauma, both physical and mental.

Image Courtesy of Daily MailImage Courtesy of Daily Mail

Apparently, prior to the assault, Alecia and Andrew Schmuhl had lived relatively normal, civil lives.  They had met in an Indiana law school, married and moved to Washington, D.C., where Andrew spent time in the Army JAG Corps.  The couple held down positions as attorneys at several smaller law firms, including Leo's until he made the fateful decision to let Alecia go. Sources believe Alecia's termination was the catalyst for the crime, and the intensity could have had something to do with Andrew's state of mind at the time.  He was on a cocktail of prescription medications, including Fentanyl, a painkiller that can cause disorientation.  It is unclear whether Andrew was coherent on the night of the attacks.  The couple first contemplated filing a wrongful termination lawsuit, but ultimately decided on the more sinister method of revenge.  They went as far as preparing a a kit which included gloves and a rope, along with the knife, and purchased disposable cell phones which would be difficult to trace.  They also paid cash for Taser.  These purchases proved they had been long plotting to carry out their deeds, and the two admitted guilt for their crimes.

Sources:

Former lawyer is sentenced for role in home invasion attack on managing partnerWhat Led Two Lawyers To Take Hostage And Torture A Managing Partner And His Wife?Former lawyer pleads guilty to role in brutal attack on law firm partner, wife
Sara E. Teller

About Sara E. Teller

Sara is a credited freelance writer, editor, contributor, and essayist, as well as a novelist and poet with nearly twenty years of experience. A seasoned publishing professional, she's worked for newspapers, magazines and book publishers in content digitization, editorial, acquisitions and intellectual property. Sara has been an invited speaker at a Careers in Publishing & Authorship event at Michigan State University and a Reading and Writing Instructor at Sylvan Learning Center. She has an MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating with a 4.2/4.0 GPA. She is also a member of Chi Sigma Iota and a 2020 recipient of the Donald D. Davis scholarship recognizing social responsibility. Sara is certified in children's book writing, HTML coding and social media marketing. Her fifth book, PTSD: Healing from the Inside Out, was released in September 2019 and is available on Amazon. You can find her others books there, too, including Narcissistic Abuse: A Survival Guide, released in December 2017.

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