REOPENED: A Deadly Affair

Summary

Cold Case Files: REOPENED - A Deadly Affair

Host: Brooke Giddings
Guest: Paul Morrison, Assistant District Attorney
Release Date: July 17, 2025

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Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "REOPENED: A Deadly Affair" from the Cold Case Files podcast, host Brooke Giddings delves deep into one of Kansas's most baffling and enduring murder cases. With the assistance of Assistant District Attorney Paul Morrison, the episode unravels the intricate details of David Harmon's murder, the subsequent investigation, and the eventual reopening of the case nearly two decades later.

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The Crime

On the night of February 27, 1982, David Harmon, a 25-year-old bank cashier, was brutally murdered in his duplex in Olathe, Kansas. David and his wife, Melinda Harmon, had been living in the duplex alongside their neighbors, Gayle and David Bergstrand.

Gail Bergstrand, the neighbor, recounts hearing disturbing noises around 2:30 AM:

Melinda Harmon [00:59]: "This was the kind of a loud noise that just wakes you up from a deep sleep. You sit up in the bed, just bolt upright, and you just look at each other and say, what was that? I told my husband, I said, I'm going to call the police. And he said, well, what are you going to tell them? That you heard thumping in our neighbor's duplex?"

Shortly after these unsettling noises ceased, the Bergstronds were awakened by Melinda Harmon herself, who reported,

Melinda Harmon [01:30]: "I think Dave is dead."

Upon arrival, Officer Larrick discovered David Harmon's lifeless body in the master bedroom, his face mutilated from repeated blows with a blunt object. The scene was grisly, with blood and brain matter splattered throughout the room, making it evident that a severe bludgeoning had taken place.

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Initial Investigation

Detective Larrick's initial investigation pointed towards Melinda Harmon as a potential witness. However, further interrogations revealed inconsistencies in her story that raised suspicions. Melinda claimed that intruders had forced her to retrieve the bank keys, but no evidence of a typical home invasion, such as attempts to access the bank, was found.

Brooke Giddings [07:44]: "The real thing that stuck in our mind was what would anybody accomplish by taking the keys and breaking into the bank in the middle of the night, knowing full well that there's a time lock on the vault? I mean, you get what, office chairs, a check protector, that's about it."

Attorney Paul Morrison shared his skepticism:

Paul Morrison [08:01]: "Ada Morrison also believe that Melinda's story was questionable, especially since no one attempted to break into the bank."

As the investigation progressed, attention shifted to Melinda's close friend, Mark Mangelsdorf, who appeared at the crime scene with visibly wet hair, suggesting he had taken a shower—a suspicious detail given the early morning hour. Further scrutiny revealed a tangled web of personal relationships, including letters and greeting cards that hinted at an intimate affair between Melinda and Mark, providing a potential motive for murder.

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The Case Goes Cold

Despite mounting suspicions, the detectives lacked concrete evidence to convict Melinda or Mark. Melinda's family grew increasingly protective, with her father becoming uncooperative, ultimately removing Melinda from the household and returning her to Ohio. Without sufficient proof, the case was left unsolved, joining the unfortunate statistic that one-third of all American murders remain open.

Brooke Giddings [10:41]: "Well, the bottom line is that we think they're involved. And we thought from the very beginning that there was enough information to arrest both of them for David's murder. But we never thought for one minute there was enough information to convict him. So we did not make an arrest."

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Reopening the Case

In 2001, nineteen years after the initial investigation, Cold Case detectives Steve James and Bill Wall revisited David Harmon's murder. Upon reviewing the case files, they identified overlooked evidence that rekindled their belief in the original suspicions against Melinda and Mark.

Brooke Giddings [11:31]: "With the exception of this is Detective James. When you read this thing, it reads like, hey, it was either Melinda or Mark. It had been one of them or both of them. Probably both."

A critical piece of evidence was Melinda's pink nightgown, which had blood splattered only at the bottom, contradicting her account of the crime scene where she should have been drenched in blood if she had genuinely witnessed the assault.

Brooke Giddings [12:06]: "Melinda's story is that she woke up in the middle of the night to someone beating her husband. She was pulled out of bed. Well, if you look at the crime scene, you would see that she should have had a lot more blood on. This nightgown just reaffirmed everything that we were reading in the case file. And now the physical evidence is starting to support that."

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Melinda's Interrogation

Detectives James and Wall tracked down Melinda Harmon in Delaware, Ohio, in December 2001. During the interrogation, Melinda's evolving narrative unveiled further inconsistencies, especially regarding the number of intruders and the sequence of events.

Brooke Giddings [14:12]: "Right away, we realized, hey, what about the two black guys that broke in demanding the bank keys? What about one guy saying to the other, I think you hit him too hard. You may have killed him? There wasn't any of that."

Under intense questioning, Melinda began to reveal the depth of her involvement, hinting at guilt without outright confession. This shift in her demeanor provided the detectives with the leverage needed to build their case.

Brooke Giddings [16:02]: "We're convinced that she's into this up to her neck. So now all I gotta do is just keep her rolling. I gotta keep her talking. And usually good things happen when people keep talking."

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The Trial

Both Melinda Harmon and Mark Mangelsdorf were indicted for murder. Melinda stood trial first, with Mark serving as a key witness for the prosecution. Throughout the trial, Melinda chose not to testify, leaving the jury to gauge her credibility based on her prior statements and the new evidence presented.

Brooke Giddings [22:49]: "The jury got to see her firsthand, how she reacted. And anybody with life experiences that watches this tape will see that this woman is up to this. To her neck. She is guilty. She conspired with this Mark Mangelsdorf to kill her husband."

Assistant District Attorney Paul Morrison expressed his frustration with the plea negotiations, aiming for full accountability but ultimately securing a lesser charge in exchange for testimony against Mark.

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Sentencing and Aftermath

In 2005, both Melinda Harmon and Mark Mangelsdorf were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. As part of her plea deal, Melinda provided detailed accounts of her affair with Mark and how it culminated in her husband's murder. Their convictions provided a semblance of closure to the grieving Harmon family.

Brooke Giddings [27:20]: "To the Harmon family, I'm really sorry. Words do not adequately express the things I feel in my heart. Just words are not enough. And I would love to have better words."

Mark Mangelsdorf, who confessed to his role in the murder, was sentenced to the maximum term allowed at the time, ensuring that justice was served even if both would eventually be released decades later.

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Conclusion and Reflections

"A Deadly Affair" serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities involved in solving cold cases. Through relentless pursuit and the advancement of forensic technology, the Cold Case Files team was able to shed light on a tragic event that had long remained shrouded in mystery. The episode highlights the importance of perseverance, the impact of personal relationships on criminal motives, and the enduring quest for justice.

Paul Morrison [23:56]: "John Harmon, David's father, wasn't one of them. I think what Paul Morrison did was the only way that he could have achieved closure. Paul said he wanted to do the right thing, so he went ahead and did it. So to his credit, he didn't get it. It's something."

As both Melinda and Mark served their sentences and were eventually released, the case stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication of law enforcement in seeking the truth, no matter how much time has passed.

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Produced by: McKamey, Lynn, Steve Delamater
Associate Producer: Julie McGruder
Executive Producer: Ted Butler
Music by: Blake Maples
Distributed by: PodcastOne
Social Media:

• Twitter: rookginnings
• Instagram: brookthepodcaster
• Facebook Group: Podcast for Justice

For more information and to explore similar cases, visit A&E's Real Crime Blog.

Transcript

[Brooke Giddings]

There's a time and a place for a filet of fish, but breakfast is for sausage biscuits. McDonald's breakfast comes first.

[Paul Morrison]

This episode contains descriptions of violence. Use your best judgment. David and Melinda Harmon lived in a duplex in olathe, Kansas, in 1982. He was 25 and she was 24. David worked as a cashier at a local bank. His co workers described him as easygoing. His friends said he was active in church. Gayle Bergstrand lived with her husband on the other side of the harmon's duplex. The two families shared a wall. On February 27, Gail heard loud noises coming from the harmon's home around 2:30am this is Gail Bergstron.

[Melinda Harmon]

I mean, this was the kind of a loud noise that just wakes you.

[Brooke Giddings]

From a deep sleep.

[Melinda Harmon]

You sit up in the bed, just bolt upright, and you just look at each other and say, what was that? I told my husband, I said, I'm going to call the police. And he said, well, what are you going to tell them? That you heard thumping in our neighbor's duplex? And I said, oh, you're right. You know, I can't do that. But I said, I'm going to put my ear on the wall and if I hear one more thing, I'm calling.

[Paul Morrison]

The noises stopped and the Bergstrons went back to sleep until they heard someone banging on their door. It was their neighbor, Melinda Harmon. She said, I think Dave is dead.

[Brooke Giddings]

I think Dave could be dead. And she didn't know that definitively.

[Paul Morrison]

The loud noises Gail had heard were the sounds of David Harmon being murdered. From A and E, this is Cold Case Files.

[Brooke Giddings]

That information basically was there'd been an attack in the residence and her husband had been severely injured. So in that type of scenario, you go code three lights and sirens to the residents to get there as quickly and safely as you can. I went into the bedroom, the master bedroom, and that's when I first saw David on the bed.

[Paul Morrison]

That was Officer Larrick, the first investigator to arrive at the crime scene. David's face had been beaten with a blunt object repeatedly.

[Brooke Giddings]

I don't think David's mother would have recognized him as he lay there on the bed.

[Paul Morrison]

Assistant District Attorney Paul Morrison arrived at the scene shortly after Officer Larik.

[Brooke Giddings]

You could not tell if he was 8 or 80. You could not tell if he was a man or a woman. There was blood, brain matter slung, not spattered, but slung on the ceiling, on the walls. From what was obviously a bludgeoning that had occurred.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective Larik interviewed Melinda. He hoped she would be able to provide him with some clue as to who had killed her husband. Here's Officer Larrick again.

[Brooke Giddings]

When I asked her what happened, she said that she was awakened by the sounds of thuds as she lay in bed next to David. She was then grabbed by the arm and pulled out of the bed and told to show them the intruders where the keys to the bank were. She said she went downstairs, showed them where the keys to the bank were, and then she was struck.

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda said that she had been hit so hard that she had blacked out.

[Brooke Giddings]

Sometime later, she woke up and she ran next door and pounded on the door of the Bergstroms to ask for help.

[Paul Morrison]

Officer Lyric asked Melinda Harmon to come make a statement at the Detectives Bureau to help further the investigation. Melinda agreed, and Detective Joe Pruitt took her statement.

[Brooke Giddings]

She said that she was picked from the bed by her hair and led downstairs. And the two suspects, who said they were probably black males, you could tell that from their voice, demanded the keys to the bank where David was employed. This bruise on her left cheek was about the size of a dime. If she'd been knocked unconscious, she would still have been woozy. She would have been disorientated. She was able to answer our questions. She was not overly upset.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective Pruitt might have mental health qualifications that I'm unaware of. If he does, however, he'll know that people grieve and react to trauma in many different ways. There's no right way to react to trauma. If a person appears overly upset or not after a loved one is murdered, their reactions shouldn't be interpreted as suspicious. However, Detective Pruitt had another reason to be suspicious of Melinda Harmon.

[Melinda Harmon]

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[Brooke Giddings]

The real thing that stuck in our mind was what would anybody accomplish by taking the keys and breaking into the bank in the middle of the night, knowing full well that there's a time lock on the vault? I mean, you get what, office chairs, a check protector, that's about it.

[Paul Morrison]

Ada Morrison also believe that Melinda's story was questionable, especially since no one attempted to break into the bank.

[Brooke Giddings]

For the first few hours, everybody subscribed to this home invasion story and we spent considerable time chasing those leads down. Surveillance was set up at the bank waiting for these bad guys to show up. As the hours went by, though nobody showed up at the bank, we began to sort of assess her statement and how impractical and improbable we felt that statement was. So as the morning went into the afternoon, I think everybody felt this story stinks.

[Paul Morrison]

The detectives started to look into Melinda and a friend of hers that had shown up at the crime scene, Mark Mangelsdorf. Here's Detective Pruitt again.

[Brooke Giddings]

Officer Laric pointed out that even though it was around five o' clock in the morning, Mr. Mangelsdorf's hair was wet. And I don't mean moist like you'd run a comb through it, a wet comb, but it was wet, like he had taken a shower. I had not taken a shower, and I didn't think that he had had time to shower either.

[Paul Morrison]

The investigators believed that there was something more than friendship between Melinda Harmon and Mark Mangelsdorf. A search of Mangeldorf's house seemed to support the suspicion.

[Brooke Giddings]

One of the things discovered was a collection of letters and greeting cards from Mrs. Harmon to Mr. Mangelsdorf. Some of those were signed Love, Melinda. They were very personal, more so than what you would think of friends. What we found out was that there was a very close relationship between. Between Mrs. Harmon and Mark. In fact, Mr. Bergstrand, the next door neighbor, later testified that he had seen them in a neighborhood pool, standing nose to nose in the pool in a very intimate embrace.

[Paul Morrison]

The investigators felt like an affair between Melinda and Mark could have been motive for David's murder. But they didn't have any physical evidence. Melinda's family started to become more protective of her. This is ADA Morrison again.

[Brooke Giddings]

And her family sort of descended around her, circled the wagons around her. Right after this crime happened, her dad became, within a fairly short period of time, really pretty uncooperative with the police. You're picking on my daughter and how dare you ask her. And very controlling. She was then taken away back to Ohio within about two days of the homicide happening, never to return to that house.

[Paul Morrison]

In the end, the investigators decided against making any arrests. Here's Detective Pruitt again.

[Brooke Giddings]

Well, the bottom line is that we think they're involved. And we thought from the very beginning that there was enough information to arrest both of them for David's murder. But we never thought for one minute there was enough information to convict him. So we did not make an arrest.

[Paul Morrison]

In 2001, 19 years after David Harmon was murdered, Cold Case detectives Steve James and Bill Wall took another look at the case. The detectives looked through the file to familiarize themselves with the evidence. This is Detective Wall.

[Brooke Giddings]

We are in one of the Rooms in the basement of the investigations bureau that we use to look at evidence.

[Paul Morrison]

After reading through the case file, the cold case detectives believed that the original investigators had been on the right track.

[Brooke Giddings]

With the exception of this is Detective James. When you read this thing, it reads like, hey, it was either Melinda or Mark. It had been one of them or both of them. Probably both. You know, after you read this thing, you have to prove it, and then you go back and you start pulling out all this evidence. This item here is the pink nightgown that Melinda Harmon was wearing the night of the murder.

[Paul Morrison]

The bottom of Melinda's nightgown was splattered in blood, but the top was perfectly clean. Detective Wall believed he had found a clue.

[Brooke Giddings]

Melinda's story is that she woke up in the middle of the night to someone beating her husband. She was pulled out of bed. Well, if you look at the crime scene, you would see that she should have had a lot more blood on. This nightgown just reaffirmed everything that we were reading in the case file. And now the physical evidence is starting to support that.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective James and Detective Wall decided they needed to find and question Melinda Harmon about what really happened the night her husband was murdered.

[Brooke Giddings]

She probably hasn't spoken to anybody about this since she went back to Ohio. I would imagine that from best we can tell, she put this behind her and never spoke of it again. The next step was just going up and seeing if Melinda would talk to us.

[Paul Morrison]

In December of 2001, the detectives found Melinda Harmon. Now Melinda Rash, in Delaware, Ohio. At 9am on a Monday morning, the detectives rang Melinda's doorbell. Here's Detective Wall.

[Brooke Giddings]

Obviously, we caught her off guard. She'd just gotten out of the shower. She's in a robe and her hair's wrapped in a towel. So she wasn't ready for us. I said, hey, we're detectives from Olathe, Kansas. We'd like to talk to you about your late husband, David Harmon. And she said, sure. How can I help you?

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda invited the detectives in, and they all sat at her kitchen table while she recounted what. What had happened the night that David was murdered.

[Brooke Giddings]

Well, her story now is that she was awakened by these terrible thuds of someone striking her husband.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective James also noticed some inconsistencies in Melinda's story.

[Brooke Giddings]

She got up on her own and went to the bathroom. There was a masked shadowy figure beating her husband.

[Paul Morrison]

In her original story, there are two men, but in the new version, there was only one. The different versions of Melinda's story seem to support the Detective's theory.

[Brooke Giddings]

Well, right away, we realized, hey, what about the two black guys that broke in demanding the bank keys? What about one guy saying to the other, I think you hit him too hard. You may have killed him? There wasn't any of that. Steve and I both remember looking at each other across the table going, wow, we're onto something here.

[Paul Morrison]

The detectives took Melinda to the Delaware police station to be officially interviewed. Here's some audio from that interview.

[Brooke Giddings]

The story you later said, two black men.

[Melinda Harmon]

Yes.

[Brooke Giddings]

Bank keys.

[Melinda Harmon]

Well, two dark figures.

[Brooke Giddings]

Two dark figures. Bank keys. Why did you tell the cops that story?

[Melinda Harmon]

At the time, I didn't.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective Wall attempted to make Melinda confess that she had lied back in 1982.

[Brooke Giddings]

You knew it wasn't true, right? This is where this secret is. This is where I think we need to go.

[Paul Morrison]

Indirectly, Melinda confessed that she hadn't told the truth during the original investigation. The interrogation questions that then transitioned to Mark Mangelsdorf. I think that I am guilty of encouraging and perhaps flirting in a way that I shouldn't have done had we met at a, you know, different time and lie.

[Brooke Giddings]

You could have been an item.

[Melinda Harmon]

Yeah.

[Brooke Giddings]

He never came out and blatantly said, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take care of him. No, he's in our way. I will fix it.

[Paul Morrison]

No, but the more time that went on, I sensed some strong, stronger feelings. Detective Wall was convinced that he would get a confession from Melinda.

[Brooke Giddings]

We're convinced that she's into this up to her neck. So now all I gotta do is just keep her rolling. I gotta keep her talking. And usually good things happen when people keep talking.

[Paul Morrison]

I had a sense.

[Melinda Harmon]

That something bad might happen.

[Paul Morrison]

Detective Wall continued to ask questions, trying to get Melinda to open up about what had happened that night.

[Melinda Harmon]

In my heart, I knew it was him.

[Brooke Giddings]

In my heart, I knew it was him. I mean, basically what she's saying is, yeah, I know it's him, but if I play word games like, I know my heart was him, I haven't actually come out and said I knew it was him. So that's a good statement for us because I know that we're getting somewhere, and now I need to get her over that next hurdle. Deep down, I still think you're sworn. It's just too weird for you. That's where I want to go. Then I want to go deep down with you. Here's my big hang up.

[Melinda Harmon]

Okay, tell me your big hang up.

[Brooke Giddings]

That you didn't have knowledge of this.

[Paul Morrison]

Prior to prior knowledge is Wall's way of suggesting that Melinda and Mark stage the break in and plan the murder together.

[Melinda Harmon]

And he didn't talk to me.

[Brooke Giddings]

He hit me. Wouldn't he have talked to you about that prior to that? No.

[Paul Morrison]

I don't know.

[Brooke Giddings]

You're crazy and smart enough to figure all this out on his own, that he's not going to tell you anything so you have no guilt and then just assume, just assume that you're going forward with this story. How'd he know you were going to make up a story that wasn't true? There was some talking about how we were going to get away with this.

[Paul Morrison]

We need to know.

[Brooke Giddings]

You need to know what the options are.

[Paul Morrison]

You know what I'm saying?

[Brooke Giddings]

Yes.

[Melinda Harmon]

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[Paul Morrison]

Melinda never admitted to planning or committing murder, but the investigators believed that she had said enough to incriminate herself. This is ADA Morrison again.

[Brooke Giddings]

The mistakes that she made was to admit the relationship, which is a big deal, was to admit that she lied. That was massive. And then to try to negotiate some sort of a deal. Innocent people don't negotiate deals, and that kind of stuff just kills you. If you're a defendant, you can't watch that tape and not absolutely believe that she is up to her neck in that deal.

[Paul Morrison]

Unlike Melinda, who invited the investigators into her home, Mark Mangelsdorf refused to talk with them. Both Mark and Melinda were indicted for murder. Melinda was tried first. Mark Mangelsdorf was one of the star witnesses at her trial.

[Brooke Giddings]

Mr. Mangeldorf, were you having an affair with Melinda? No, I absolutely was not. Were you romantically involved with her? No. Let me be very clear. I was not in love with Melinda Harmon. I did not have a romantic or sexual or physical relationship with her.

[Paul Morrison]

In 1982, Mark Mangelsdorf said that he and Melinda had stopped by his apartment the day of the murder. But at Melinda's trial in 2005, he contradicted himself.

[Brooke Giddings]

What do you call somebody that doesn't tell the truth? What's a word for that? I reviewed the. What's the word for that, Mr. Mangelsdorf? I reviewed the evidence. What's the word for somebody who doesn't tell the truth? Forgetful. What else? What's Another word. It starts with an L. I don't know. Well, that's convenient, isn't it?

[Paul Morrison]

ADA Morrison believed Mangelsdorf's testimony had been harmful to the defense's case.

[Brooke Giddings]

Comes across a lot better if the witness just says, you know what? I was freaked out. I didn't tell the truth, or whatever, but he wouldn't give anything.

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda chose not to testify at her trial, but the jury did see a video from her interrogation.

[Brooke Giddings]

The jury got to see her firsthand, how she reacted. And anybody with life experiences that watches this tape will see that this woman is up to this. To her neck. She is guilty. She conspired with this Mark Mangelsdorf to kill her husband.

[Paul Morrison]

Randy Specter was the jury foreman during Melinda's trial.

[Brooke Giddings]

For us as a jury, it was the issue of how the stories had changed. You know, the original story she told, seeing the things that she was involved in. If your husband had been brutally killed, why would you tell a different story than what really happened to the detectives? You'd want to find out who did it, why it happened, and bring that person to justice. So, as a group, it was very hard for us to try to figure out a reason why that would be.

[Paul Morrison]

The jury based their verdict on. On the changing stories.

[Brooke Giddings]

On count one, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder. On count two, guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda's conviction was only half of what ADA Morrison had hoped to accomplish.

[Brooke Giddings]

The last thing we wanted to see happen was for her to get a life term of confinement and nothing to happen to him. And that was a very real possibility. I had three jurors that summer contact me independently of each other, and say, what are you gonna do about Mangelsdorf? Are you gonna be able to get her to help you? I know that in the eyes of the law, they're both equally guilty of the crime, but the fact that Mark was actually the one that committed the murder, I honestly was more worried about him getting a conviction.

[Paul Morrison]

ADA Morrison met with Melinda's attorneys to make a deal. Melinda's conviction would be set aside, and she could plead guilty to the lesser charge of second degree murder, but only if she agreed to testify about Mangelsdorf. When Mangeldorf's attorneys heard about the deal, they made a strategic legal decision.

[Brooke Giddings]

At this time, you, Honor, the defendant, Mr. Mangelsdorf, wishes to withdraw his plea of not guilty and his election for trial. And we will be entering a plea to a substitute information.

[Paul Morrison]

Mark Mangelsdorf also pled guilty to second degree murder Some people believe that it was wrong for Ada Morrison to offer plea deals. But John Harmon, David's father, wasn't one of them.

[Brooke Giddings]

I think what Paul Morrison did was the only way that he could have achieved closure. Paul said he wanted to do the right thing, so he went ahead and did it. So to his credit, he didn't get it. It's something.

[Paul Morrison]

After the sentencing hearing for Mangelsdorf, John Harmon got to speak to his son's killer directly.

[Brooke Giddings]

I waited for 24 years to talk to you in just this setting. You wear many hats. You're not only a murderer, you're also a thief. You took our one and only child in a vicious. A vicious attack and act of violence. But I'm filled with sadness for you, Mark. You've destroyed yourself. What a waste. What a complete waste of a human life.

[Paul Morrison]

When John Harmon was finished, Mengelsdorf took the stand.

[Brooke Giddings]

Mr. Harmon, I can't begin to imagine the grief and the sorrow that you and your family, your wife, experienced. What I can say is I'm truly, truly sorry for David's death and for the loss of the time that you've experienced not being able to spend time with him. What I do know is that I have pled guilty to this. I've acknowledged my involvement, and I hope that in some small way that that helps. I have tried to do the right things throughout my life, and especially for the last 24 years. And that's genuine. It's not an act.

[Paul Morrison]

The judge sentenced Mark Mangelsdorf to the maximum sentence allowed at the time.

[Brooke Giddings]

I'm going to impose the following sentence. She'll be remanded in the state of Kansas for a period of not less than 10 or more than 20 years.

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda also addressed the Harmon family at her sentencing hearing.

[Melinda Harmon]

To the Harmon family, I'm really sorry. Words do not adequately express the things I feel in my heart. Just words are not enough. And I would love to have better words.

[Brooke Giddings]

I just don't.

[Melinda Harmon]

I'm very, very remorseful and would in no way ever expect any amount of time to make up for this.

[Paul Morrison]

Melinda was also sentenced to 10 to 20 years. And as part of her plea deal, she told detectives the details of her affair and how it led to David Harmon's murder. Here's ADA Morrison.

[Brooke Giddings]

She and Martin Mangelsdorf went for a walk that afternoon. She said during that walk that Mark told her, it's imminent. I've got a. I bought a crowbar, and it's imminent. At night. It happened.

[Paul Morrison]

Then, after Mangelsdorf had killed her husband. According to Melinda, he turned on her to make the break in story more believable.

[Brooke Giddings]

He then does hit her in the side of the face and says, sorry to do this to you sweetie. I think that was a quote.

[Paul Morrison]

Ironically, Melinda and Mark never saw each other again after the murder, Detective Wall explains.

[Brooke Giddings]

She said, you know, when I'm standing there watching Mark Mangelsdorf beat my husband to death, I knew at that time that I could never be with this man. I knew at that time that this was a big mistake. So they never hooked up afterwards.

[Paul Morrison]

Mark Mangelsdorf is now 60 years old. He was released from the Kansas Department of corrections in 2016. Melinda Rash was released in 2015. She's now 62 years old. Cold Case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey, Lynn and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie McGruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. Our music was created by Blake Maples. This podcast is distributed by Podcast one. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and is hosted by Bill Curtis. You can find me rookginnings on Twitter and brookthepodcaster on Instagram. I'm also active in the Facebook group Podcast for Justice. Check out more Cold case [e-mail] or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the A and E Real crime [e-mail] RealCrime.

[Brooke Giddings]

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