Melissa Bates

Case record: Melissa Bates

Background

Melissa R. Bates was 28 years old when she was sentenced. She entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder after murdering her uncle, Robert D. Marek, 43, near St. Maries.

Bates grew up in St. Maries and had been a good student and athlete. Her mental illness started showing up in her early teens, and her defense attorney said there were “10 different diagnoses for what Melisa is,” adding that “Probably the best definition is that Melisa is mentally ill.”

Bates married at 17 and later divorced. She had a son and daughter. After spending nearly two years in a psychiatric hospital in Orofino, Bates showed improvement, but later stopped taking her medication and got off track again.

Bates told the court that she did not want further connection with her biological family. She ended with: “I do not. I repeat. I do not want any more connection with my biological family.”

Deann Turcott, Bates’ aunt, described dramatic emotional and mental changes in Bates’ early teens, saying: “She just started to disconnect with the world and reality,” and that Bates falsely believed that people were always abusing her. Turcott said Bates was a hard worker, a great athlete, and a good student. Turcott also said: “Something inside her snapped a long time ago,” and that she was afraid for Bates in prison, asking the judge: “Let us know she is safe.”

The offence

Bates was accused of killing her uncle, Robert D. Marek, last spring. The murder was committed May 15, 2011, at Marek’s home about 8 miles south of St. Maries along Highway 3.

During the preliminary hearing, evidence presented by Doug Payne alleged that Bates shot her uncle, beat him with a metal rod, and then burned his body in the backyard of his home.

Human remains, mostly bone, were found in a hastily arranged makeshift fire pit in the middle of Marek’s lawn. Marek’s body was burned along with tires, wood and hay, ringed by rocks and cinder blocks.

Investigators found a wedding dress, a graduation certificate from a life-skills program Bates completed, a court judgment document from a domestic violence case she was a defendant in, and a Social Security document for her. These items were found dumped in a trash can at Marek’s home.

A prosecutor described the case as lacking any real motive, stating: “When Bates was having a tough time, and needed a place to live, Marek took her in. She killed him soon afterward.” Payne also said Bates demonstrated “a mixture of rational and irrational thoughts.”

Investigation

The case started as a missing person report from Stimson Mill when Robert Marek did not show up for a swing shift on Monday. Deputies searched the victim’s property near mile marker 76 on Highway 3 outside of St. Maries.

Authorities confirmed that the murder left the victim “unrecognizable.”

In a video-recorded interview with police, Bates admitted shooting Marek and burning his body, and also admitted throwing the gun into the St. Joe River.

Two witnesses testified at the preliminary hearing that they saw Bates at Marek’s home on the night he was killed. The witnesses said Bates told both men, who had stopped by, that she was having problems with the plumbing at Marek’s home. Both noticed the backyard fire blazing despite the pouring rain.

One witness said Bates kept saying the water flowing at Marek’s was “blood red.” He attempted to correct her by suggesting she meant “rusty,” and she persisted in her description. Regarding Marek’s whereabouts, the witness said Bates told him Marek is “out back someplace.” The witness said Bates let him inside Marek’s home to see if he could help with the plumbing, and he went out back to the pump house next to the roaring fire pit where Marek’s body was then burning.

A friend of Marek’s who testified at the preliminary hearing recalled an argument between Marek and Bates over the sale of property. After Marek told Bates to mind her own business, she allegedly stood up and responded: “I can shoot you right between the (expletive) eyes, and it won’t bother me a bit.”

Arrest

Bates was arrested at a boat launch in Bayview on Lake Pend Oreille as she prepared to head across the lake to Lakeview, a community she previously had been living in. Doug Payne said deputies arrested Bates on murder charges Tuesday in the town of Bayview, about a two hour drive north of St. Maries.

Bates was described as the only suspect in the case.

Trial

Bates entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder. She did not admit her crime but admitted there was enough evidence against her that a jury would most likely find her guilty. Prosecutors in Benewah County agreed to a plea agreement with Bates, with charges dropped from first degree murder to second degree murder.

In sentencing, First District Court Judge Fred Gibler set the fixed portion of Bates’ sentence at 30 years and imposed an indeterminate life sentence, meaning she might spend the rest of her life in custody.

Gibler said Bates suffers from “severe” mental illness, stating that while it is not a defense in Idaho, it was a mitigating factor. Gibler cited a recent mental-health evaluation that “strongly recommended” Bates be locked up at a secure facility because she poses a significant risk to the community.

Bates’ defense attorney Will Butler argued that Bates could be rehabilitated with proper medication and therapy. He asked the court to settle on a sentence that would bring healing to Bates and her family.

During the sentencing hearing, Butler argued: “no person in their right mind would walk a potential witness right past a murdered victim's burning body.”

Bates was given a chance to address the court, but her statements were described as scattered and without logical or meaningful connection to her crime or the sentencing hearing.

Deann Turcott addressed the court and said: “She just started to disconnect with the world and reality,” and “Something inside her snapped a long time ago.” She told Gibler: “Let us know she is safe.”

Regarding Robert Marek, Turcott said: “He was a sweet man and didn’t deserve to die like that. He loved (Bates).”

Sentencing

On May 25, 2012, Melisa R. Bates appeared in a St. Maries courtroom and received an indeterminate life sentence for second-degree murder. Judge Fred Gibler set the fixed portion of her sentence at 30 years.

Outcome

Bates was sentenced on May 25, 2012 after entering an Alford plea to second-degree murder. Charges were dropped from first-degree murder to second-degree murder as part of the plea agreement.

Other details

Bates’ sentencing hearing occurred in a Benewah County courthouse. One report included a caption: “Melissa R. Bates looks toward family and friends prior to being sentenced for second degree murder in a Benewah County courthouse. ( Shawn Gust/CdaPress.com)”