in the murder of mark s stover, michael oakes. but he certainly didn t look the part of a hired killer. all five foot six of him, soft spoken understated, articulate, father of four, grandfather of one. john henry browne: yeah, he s not your hollywood casting for a hit man. keith morrison: but cast as defense attorney, seattle s colorful and irrepressible john henry browne. john henry browne: he s a really kind, compassionate, loving guy. keith morrison: but early legal skirmishing seems sometimes to merely add confusion. was it murder? oakes a hired gun? or was it something else altogether? and besides that, how intimate was oakes relationship with mark stover s ex-wife linda? and who was paying for his famous defense attorney? john henry browne: if the opdykes are behind this [interposing voices] john henry browne: if the opdykes are behind this, and you know, they hired me, i ll tell you, if they hired me, i wouldn t be wearing my timex.
he knew it. keith morrison: wow. he knew his life was over, he just knew it. and that there was nothing he could do about it. keith morrison: as detective luvera talked to friends and dog-owning clients, he heard all about mark s fears those last few months. he kept on pointing the finger at linda, but again, there was no evidence to prove that or suggest that i guess. but he was, he was concerned. and he had this feeling that something terrible was going to happen. keith morrison: what did he tell you about linda? he told me that she will not rest until i m dead. keith morrison: and it wasn t just linda mark fretted about. he told friends he was afraid of her father, too. why was he afraid of them? what i can say is often he would comment that they always win. and they always get the last word. keith morrison: and so according to his friends, mark stover spent the late summer and early fall of 2009
plunked a few feet offshore, a 90 minute commute north of seattle. the dogs could go swimming in the water there. there s plenty of trail walks and it s just really, really outdoorsy and beautiful. keith morrison: outdoorsy and beautiful are words which also happen to describe the human love of mark s life, linda opdycke, the willowy blonde daughter of wally opdycke, the wealthy investor who d once helped found chateau saint michele winery. linda s seemed a perfect match for mark, according to the clients and friends who knew him best. she was mark two. you know, i mean they were peas in a pod. they had similar hobbies, hunt and fish, you know, go camp somewhere, you know, that kind of stuff. he just thought she was the most wonderful thing since sliced bread basically. keith morrison: very protective of his linda, was mark, as clients could clearly tell.
thank you. keith morrison: up to the jury then. and as the hours became a day and then two and then three, it seemed perhaps they were having trouble making up their minds. mark stover s loyal friends and clients kept vigil, hoping for conviction, eager to tell whoever would listen that mark was never the abusive villain the defense contended. that michiel oakes, his children, and extended family, were joined by linda opdycke. they waited in a rented waterfront house. and of course, neither they nor anyone knew what drama was coming with the reading of the verdict. judge: i understand the jury has reached a verdict. woman: yes, we have, your honor. keith morrison: coming up, emotions boil over. when dateline continues.
she invoked her fifth amendment right. so this, at the end of michiel oakes murder trial, was quite a surprise. linda opdycke, defense witness. i felt this was an important part of the story that i could tell, about a dangerous stalking situation. and if there s any information that i could offer up, i wanted to do so. keith morrison: and as she began, it was clear she was here to join the defense s campaign against victim mark stover s character. would you agree that mark stover was dogged in pursuit of his prey? yes, i would. keith morrison: the defense claimed michiel oakes knew linda opdycke had been stalked by her ex-husband. and that went to his state of mind when he acted in self-defense. so now, linda told the jury some stories she d earlier told oakes, her claim, for example, that mark appeared in her bedroom one night. and he had a pistol in his hand