MONKTON, Md. — Could a man who murdered his wife but may not be criminally responsible for it still have a right to inherit all of her assets?
One Maryland family fears that could be the case, and therefore is begging a judge to hear their case.
Kimberly Lechner was stabbed to death inside of her Monkton home on September 29, 2025, reportedly in front of her disabled brother.
Her husband, Anthony Lechner was later charged.
However, the family's since been told that doctors have deemed Anthony not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder and/or intellectual disability.
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If that were true, Anthony would most likely be spared jail time, yet on top of that he'd be entitled to all of Kimberly's possessions.
"Under a bizarre twist of Maryland law, if the court accepts the NCR finding, the man who stabbed Kimberly Lechner to death would be free to inherit the entirety of her estate — the family home, vehicles, and retirement accounts, valued in total at over two million dollars," said attorney Thiru Vignarajah. "And because the victim’s college-age children are technically adults (age 19 and 21) and the Defendant’s biological children, Maryland’s intestacy laws do not grant them half of their mother’s estate but may route every asset to the man who killed their mother, not to them."
Vignarajah also accuses Anthony of threatening to cut support for his college-aged children, and essentially evict Kimberly's brother who witnessed her murder.
In their court filing, Kimberly's family is asking for a judge to order prosecutors to disclose what evidence led to concluding that Anthony isn't criminally responsible.
The family also wants access to disturbing voice messages they claim Anthony sent to his son from prison.
They believe the messages should've been considered before Anthony was deemed not criminally responsible.
According to Vignarajah, the message from Anthony blames drugs on Kimberly's murder.
Vignarajah is asking the judge to postpone a ruling on Anthony's not criminally responsible defense that is currently set for Wednesday.
