Mark Ledden threatened his wife:
“If you ever leave me, I’ll kill you”
Mark Ledden broke five different knives stabbing his wife. He was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, use of an offensive weapon, possession of instruments of crime, simple assault and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. Yet a week later, Ledden’s sister posted $25,000 in bail, and he was released from jail.
Denise and the district attorney filed an emergency petition to have the bail revoked. But instead of being thrown back in jail, Mark was put under house arrest with an ankle monitor.
Denise was terrified that her husband would remove the monitor and finish what he started. After all, he’d been threatening her for years.
Time after time he told her: “If you ever think you’re going to leave me and some other man is going to raise my kids ”¦ I’LL KILL YOU and you’ll be dead and I’ll be in jail.”
Mark Ledden threatens with AK 47
Mark had actually only been violent with her once, in August 2005, after their second child was born. They were arguing, and Denise said something about him being sarcastic.
Mark grabbed her by the hair, ripped her off the sofa and dragged her into the bedroom, locking the kids out and them in. He pulled out an AK47 assault rifle and pointed it at her head.
“I’ll fucking kill you right now,” Mark said.
“What the hell are you doing?” Denise yelled, crouched on the floor.
Then Mark turned the gun on himself. Denise tried to get out of the room, but Mark blocked her. To diffuse the situation, Denise told Mark how much she loved him and he needed to calm down. He did. Then he apologized and acted as if they were on their honeymoon.
Denise pretended to accept his apology, and for the rest of the day lay on the sofa—her head hurt where Mark had pulled her hair, and her arms and legs were sore from fighting him.
But from that day forward, she feared for her life, and the lives of her children. Mark repeatedly threatened to kill her, and she didn’t doubt that he would do it. She felt her only option, for the sake of her children, was to stay with him and endure.
Sexy and available
The marriage didn’t start out this way. Denise met Mark at a club in 2001, shortly before her 30th birthday. He was sexy, available and looked nice across the bar. Denise picked him up.
At the time, Mark had a house, a job and a truck. Mark told Denise that he was separated from his wife, who had run around on him and gotten pregnant. This turned out to be a lie, but Mark succeeded in getting Denise to feel sorry for him. Three months later they were engaged, and three months after that, she was pregnant.
Mark always had a plan, according to Denise. He convinced two different people to start businesses with him. They invested money, but the businesses never worked out. “Mark had that charm and appeal,” Denise says. “He could get anyone to do anything.”
In 2006, with two small children, the couple moved to Arizona and bought a home—Denise later suspected that her husband had a reason for getting out of town quickly, although she didn’t know what it was. Two years later, they lost the new home, and left town again. In December 2008, while driving back to Pennsylvania with a U-Haul, they were caught in a 20-car pileup in Texas.
Financial problems
The Leddens were due to receive a $10,000 insurance settlement for the accident—which should have been a marital asset. Unbeknownst to Denise, her husband received $5,000 of the settlement in early February 2009. Mark cashed the check and used the money to buy a truck, lying about how he paid for it. Then, 11 days after the stabbing, another $5,000 arrived. Mark gave his sister power of attorney so she could use the money to hire a criminal defense attorney for him.
Denise, in the meantime, struggled to make ends meet. With her husband under arrest, she could not register, drive or sell the truck, because it was in his name. She had hoped to begin a new career as a teacher, but after the attack, she could not complete her student teaching and could not apply for a job. Denise also had to find the money to divorce her husband, because he refused to sign divorce papers.
Mark managed to stay out of jail for a year. Finally, when he could delay his trial no longer, he cut a plea deal on February 16, 2010. Mark Ledden pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily harm, and the rest of the charges were dropped. He was sentenced to seven to 20 years in prison.
Denise Ledden makes victim impact statement
Before her husband pleaded guilty, Denise submitted a victim impact statement to the court. She said, in part:
The worst emotional impact felt by me from this crime is my husband’s complete lack of remorse for what he did. He has lied to the police, hospital physicians, his entire family, his lawyers, the court, and everyone else whom he has shared his “story” with. I never stabbed this man, nor did I ever attempt to attack him in any way. His version of the story simply shows his attempt to “cover his own ass” without any regard for his children or his family. It proves he really wanted to kill me. He continues to lie and manipulate those around him rather than tell the truth, and the pain that I feel over that is overwhelming. The man I married who was supposed to take care of me for all of my days not only tried to end my life physically, but continues to try to drag me down emotionally every day that he continues his façade. As long as he continues this lie, all those around him continue to suffer.
My husband stabbed me 11 times with nothing but rage and intent to kill me. Worse than his having done that is that he did this in front of our children, ages 6 and 3. Both of my sons had to witness the horrifying scene of their mother being stabbed nearly to death, dragged across the floor through her own blood, and begging for her life. They saw all the blood, knives, etc. as it took place in the home we were staying in. Both of my sons have since suffered from sleep interruption and nightmares along with aggressive behaviors and obvious trauma from witnessing such a scary event. The children are working with a therapist through Child Guidance. My six-year-old has also worked with a school counselor when the event first occurred so he could receive immediate help. It is difficult to describe how this event will have impacted these children in the long run. They never should have had to witness something so horrible. I expect they will need continued support of my family and friends as well as professional assistance to arrive at a point in their lives where they feel secure and safe.
Epilogue
Denise finally started her new teaching career in February 2010. In fact, she was interviewed for a television news story about Philadelphia’s “Strong Beginnings” program for first-year teachers.
But two years after the terrifying domestic violence, Denise still had not obtained a divorce, and still carried the name of her assailant—Ledden. Mark, in the meantime, was appealing for visitation with his sons through custody court. He wanted the boys to be brought to prison four times a year, even though they didn’t want to see him. For Denise, it was another court battle.
Denise physically recovered, as much as she can, from her ordeal. The tendon transfer surgery worked, so she regained the use of her left thumb. But she still has large scars on her arms and torso, scars that she will have forever. Emotionally, both she and her older son are still dealing with the aftermath of that violent Valentine’s Day.
“I’m suffering from PTSD but I think as time goes by, I’m getting better,” Denise says. “Once I’m divorced and once he can’t see the kids, I’ll really feel in the clear a bit. I know Mark will never stop trying to needle at me, even from behind bars. As long as he’s alive, he’s a threat to my and my children’s safety.”