More details sought in Arlee murder case

Lawyers for an Idaho man accused of bludgeoning his nephew to death in Arlee in February are questioning who delivered the fatal blows. 

Attorneys representing an Idaho man accused of bludgeoning his nephew to death in Arlee are questioning who struck the fatal blow in the Feb. 17 murder of 18-year-old Richard Warner.

A motion filed in Lake County District Court on Sept. 26 alleges that Stephen Seese, 25, has been pressured to “take the fall” for the crime, and that his wife, Kassandra Seese, may have actually carried out the murder. 

Kassandra Seese, 24, has pleaded guilty to accountability for negligent homicide, and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for Nov. 16. The motion requests the state make Seese available for interviews, and provide defense attorneys with scientific reports and other information as Stephen Seese’s Nov. 14 trial date draws near.

Seese is accused of bludgeoning Warner to death after an argument.  According to a district court affidavit, the couple lived with Warner’s body in the bathroom of their trailer for several months before moving to Idaho. The corpse was discovered on June 2, after two men moving the trailer reported a foul odor. 

The motion filled on Sept. 26 states that during their investigations, Seese’s attorneys have come to believe Kassandra Seese struck the fatal blow and that Seese is innocent. It alleges that family members have pressured Stephen Seese to take the fall for the crime so Kassandra Seese does not loose custody of her children. 

“This motion is not a fishing expedition,” Seese’s attorney Lisa Kauffman wrote in the motion, “but a specific request for…information that Stephen is entitled to.” 

Attorneys for Kassandra Seese did not return a request for comment for this story.