BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The family of a Monkton woman who was fatally stabbed by her husband is speaking out against what they describe as a troubling loophole in Maryland law that could allow the man accused of her murder to inherit her entire estate if he is found not criminally responsible due to insanity.
Outside the Baltimore County Circuit Court on Tuesday, former Maryland Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah joined the family of Kimberly Lechner to call attention to the issue ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Anthony Lechner (WBFF)
According to court filings, he is asserting an insanity defense, and an evaluation has reportedly concluded that he was not criminally responsible (NCR) at the time of the killing.
Kimberly Lechner’s sister and her two children, ages 19 and 21, have filed a motion seeking access to a redacted version of the NCR report.
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The family argues that reviewing the report is necessary to exercise their rights as victims under Maryland law and to participate meaningfully in upcoming court proceedings.
The motion cites the Maryland Supreme Court’s decision in Adnan Syed v. Hae Min Lee, which the family contends supports victims’ rights to be informed and heard in criminal proceedings affecting their interests.
The filing also seeks a postponement of the upcoming hearing.
According to the motion, Anthony Lechner allegedly left unsolicited voice messages for his son last month using what the family claims was a prison employee’s personal cellphone rather than the monitored inmate phone system.
In the messages, the defendant allegedly denied responsibility for the killing, said he “always knew God was going to protect” him, and attributed the events to drug use, stating that “the drugs were really the cause of everything.”
Beyond the criminal case, the family says it is increasingly concerned about the potential financial consequences of an NCR finding.
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Under Maryland’s “slayer rule,” individuals who intentionally kill another person are generally prohibited from inheriting from their victims.
However, the family argues that an exception exists when a defendant is found not criminally responsible because of mental illness.
If the court ultimately accepts the NCR finding and existing inheritance laws apply as the family fears, Anthony Lechner could potentially inherit assets from his wife’s estate valued at more than $2 million, including the family home, vehicles, and retirement accounts.
The family says Kimberly Lechner’s children may not automatically receive a share of the estate despite being her surviving children. Because they are legal adults and are also the defendant’s biological children, Maryland intestacy laws could result in assets passing to their father rather than directly to them.
Court filings further allege that the defendant has sought to end financial support for his college-age children, directed that Kimberly Lechner’s disabled brother leave the family home, and declined to disclaim retirement assets that could otherwise pass to the children.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Vignarajah emphasized that the family is not asking the court to decide inheritance issues in the criminal proceedings.
Rather, he said they are seeking access to information they believe is necessary to participate in the NCR hearing and to raise public awareness about a legal outcome they view as fundamentally unjust.
The family is urging lawmakers to examine Maryland’s inheritance laws and consider reforms to prevent situations in which a person found not criminally responsible for killing a spouse could nonetheless inherit the victim’s estate.
The court is expected to consider the family’s motions during proceedings scheduled for Wednesday.
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