JENA MEULMAN'S VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT AT THE SENTENCING HEARING FOR OFFICER DEKLEINE FOR THE MURDER OF LORI

LORI'S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT FOR HER DAUGHTER LORI, WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED AT THE HANDS OF OFFICER KEVIN DEKLEINE [HOLLAND MI PD]

Subject: Victim Oral Impact Statement by Jena Meulman
Date: August 25, 2008
Case Number: HL-08-062968-FY


Your Honor, my name is Jena Meulman, and I am Lori’s mom. Lori cannot speak for herself as her life was brutally taken from her at the hands of her husband Ken on Jan. 10, 2008. On that date Ken took upon himself the role of God and ended Lori’s life here on earth. We are assured that God was waiting for Lori with out stretched arms to take her to her eternal home to spend eternity with the Lord she loved with all her heart. I now have the peace that Lori is safe and free from a life of abuse and control.

I loved Ken and thought he was the most wonderful son-in-law anyone could have. The day we confronted Ken about abusing Lori all their married life, and he admitted to abusing and controlling her, was one of the worst days of my life From that day on I prayed daily for Lori’s safety, not knowing what Ken would do when he fully realized Lori was out of his control and he would hit rock bottom, and now I know – he killed her, the day before my birthday.. I will never be able to trust anyone again the way I trusted Ken.

The death of Lori has changed all aspects of my life. There will always be an empty chair at our family gatherings. I will never again experience a huge hug from her and hear her say “I love you Mom”. I will never get to share a Bible verse with her as we did weekly the last year of her life, or pray with her, never have her come to our home, with Bre and Topher to go waterskiing, never see her, Bre and Topher on our couch with arms and legs entwined watching a movie, will not see again the look of love and pride on her face at the achievements of Bre and Topher, will not hear her laugh again or laugh at her funny sense of humor, never to be the recipient of her writings or see her creative talents in her writings and her art work. My life has been changed forever and so, your Honor, I ask that you sentence Ken to life in prison without parole so that, in the name of faith, he can never control anyone like he did Lori. Then I can say with King David in Psalm 62: 5-7, “O God I find my rest in you, my hope is only in you, you alone are my rock and salvation, you only are my fortress where I am secure.