After spending time in prison, Kirk Levin was granted a new lease on life when he was released on January 1, 2013. However, rather than using this opportunity to chart a positive course, he chose a path of crime. In a harrowing sequence of events, he first killed his own mother, who was 45 years old, and then abducted an online acquaintance by tricking her into leaving her apartment.
Following his release, it took only two days for Levin to perpetrate a vicious attack on his mother, repeatedly stabbing her in her own home. He then fled to Storm Lake, Iowa, to visit his MySpace friend, Jessica Vega, luring her out of her apartment under false pretenses. He coerced her to drive him to a different destination, where he proceeded to abduct her. Luckily, Vega managed to flee the clutches of her captor after their vehicle crashed into a ditch. A Good Samaritan intervened, providing the opportunity for Vega to make a narrow escape.
According to official reports, Kirk Levin was convicted of first-degree murder and third-degree kidnapping in that very year, and he is presently enduring a life sentence at Iowa State Penitentiary.
This Friday, April 7, Dead Silent on ID will air a chilling episode, The Sinner and the Saint, which revisits the kidnapping of Jessica Vega. Vega had fallen prey to her social media friend Kirk Levin, who had also been implicated in other crimes. The episode is set to air at 7 pm ET.
The summary states:
After offering guidance to a troubled youth she met on social media, Jessica Vega’s well-intentioned efforts to set him on a better path soon turned disastrous. Following his release from prison, Kirk Levin was arrested just 48 hours later and charged with a slew of serious crimes, including kidnapping and murder. Marilyn Schmitt details the tragic events that unfolded.
On January 3, 2013, Kirk Levin, a resident of Early, Iowa, faced charges of killing his mother, Marilyn Schmitt, aged 45. The incident unfolded shortly after he was released from Mount Pleasant prison on January 1 after serving 26 months of his 5-year sentence on third-degree burglary charges. In a separate incident, he was also accused of abducting Jessica Vega from her Storm Lake residence.
Jessica Vega contacted authorities on January 3 reporting that Levin had assaulted and kidnapped her from her apartment. Levin had requested a ride in the morning hours of that day. Although she was able to flee and obtain help from a passerby, Levin was eventually apprehended hiding in a nearby barn. He was charged with kidnapping, assault, and other related allegations.
