Police say activist hid body in her home

NAMPA, Idaho – Police say the body of an Idaho murder victim was kept in a home owned by an advocate for domestic-violence victims for several days in mid-March before it was buried in a desert grave.

Barbara Dehl, 49, who in 2000 championed an Idaho law that extended domestic violence protections to teens in abusive relationships, faces assault, kidnapping and drug charges.

Another man, Ronald Huntsman, 46, is accused of shooting John Albert Schmeichel, 22. Police say Schmeichel was killed by Huntsman while they were passengers in Dehl’s 1986 Toyota 4Runner.

Four others face charges ranging from kidnapping to being part of a methamphetamine ring that supplied southern Idaho dealers.

Dehl’s discovery that money, jewelry and drugs were missing from a safe in her Nampa home sparked a chain of events that left Schmeichel dead, according to claims of investigators in court documents.

His body was found March 24 in the shallow grave in Elmore County in southern Idaho.

Detectives say Dehl, Larry Hanslovan, 43, who shared Dehl’s home, and Huntsman initially suspected a 20-year-old man and 17-year-old girl of breaking into a safe at Dehl’s home.

Police allege the three kidnapped the pair to force them to talk, police said.

The three questioned the couple for hours at Dehl’s home, at times allegedly beating them and threatening them with a gun and a hacksaw, police said.

After the interrogation, the three turned their suspicions on Schmeichel, investigators said.

“It was their opinion that one of two men (Schmeichel or the 20-year-old) was responsible for the theft,” Boise police Detective Mark Ayotte said during a March 24 hearing.

Police say Schmeichel was shot after Huntsman persuaded the 22-year-old to get into the Toyota to discuss the stolen property.

Hanslovan, who was said to be driving, returned to Dehl’s home, according to the allegations. Police suspect Schmeichel’s body was then wrapped in plastic and left in Dehl’s garage for several days.

The exact dates of incidents are unclear.

Dehl drew national attention five years ago with her successful fight for a law to protect teenagers in violent dating relationships.

In 2000, Dehl was the driving force behind an Idaho bill called Cassie’s Law in honor of her late daughter, Cassandra, who was killed when a car driven by her boyfriend crashed in southeastern Idaho.