Woman Charged With Husband’s Death Missing Suspect Released From Jail After Posting $500,000 Bond

Sun., Dec. 7, 1997

Associated Press

Authorities have launched a search for an Everett woman accused of killing her estranged husband.

Teresa Gaethe-Leonard may have fled the area and assumed a new identity, Jan Jorgensen of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

“We are looking into that possibility, although there is no indication that she’s done that yet,” Jorgensen said.

The FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Office and the state Attorney General’s office have been enlisted to help, she said.

Gaethe-Leonard has been accused in the shooting death of her husband, Chuck Leonard, in February.

Her defense was strong and getting better, attorney John Henry Browne said.

But his client had also been clinically depressed, partly because she was unable to contact her young daughter, who is living with Chuck Leonard’s parents, Browne said.

Gaethe-Leonard’s Everett home had been emptied out, showing that the escape had been planned, Deputy Prosecutor Michael Downes said.

She has been free from jail since April when a boyfriend in Hawaii paid her cash-only $500,000 bail, which now is forfeited.

Gaethe-Leonard has not contacted the boyfriend, who is cooperating with the police, Jorgensen said.

A Snohomish County Superior Court judge has ordered that Gaethe-Leonard be jailed on $5 million bail after she is found.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.