Who is Kari Newell? Restaurateur speaks out after getting '600 or 700' hateful messages after Joan Meyer’s death
MARION, KANSAS: Kari Newell, a restaurateur, whose issues with a Kansas-based newspaper reportedly resulted in raids at the newspaper’s office as well as its co-owner’s house, has spoken up.
The 46-year-old woman disclosed to The Kansas City Star that she had been accused by many for causing the death of 98-year-old Joan Meyer, who co-owned Marion County Record, the Daily Mail reported.
Newell shared, “I've probably got 600 or 700 messages saying I have blood on my hands, that I should go to jail for manslaughter, sued for wrongful death, that I killed that poor woman.”
She added, “I'm probably approaching 5,000 pieces of hate mail,” with terms, like “devil,” “Hitler,” and “fascist” used against her.
What happened between Marion County Record and Kari Newell?
As per reports, Newell earlier alleged that the Marion County Record’s reporter, Phyllis Zorn, retrieved details about the DUI charge against her from 2018 illegally and sent it to councilwoman, Ruth Herbel.
Though the newspaper did not go ahead with her story, Newell brought up the issue during a town council meeting.
Just a few days later on August 11, Meyer’s home and office were searched by the cops, tragically leading to her death on August 12.
Following the raid, a report by the Marion County Record again clarified that they did not do anything against Newell.
The paper stated that “the Record did not seek out the information. Rather, it was provided by a source who sent it to the newspaper via social media and also sent it to Herbel.”
What did Joan Meyer’s family say?
The late veteran journalist’s son, Eric, has not blamed Newell for the raid, which resulted in his mother’s death.
He reportedly said, “She is a pawn. I think she was a convenient excuse used by other people to get at us. I think she's a patsy in that regard.”
Earlier, Eric spoke about his mother’s last hours.
He said, “I am perturbed — I carefully chose that word — as all get out about them raiding our office, but what bothers me most is a 98-year-old woman spent her last day on earth feeling under attack by bullies who invaded her house.”
However, the Marion County police department supported the raid as it mentioned in a statement.
They said, "The Marion Kansas Police Department believes it is the fundamental duty of the police is to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all members of the public."
The statement added, "This commitment must remain steadfast and unbiased, unaffected by political or media influences, in order to uphold the principles of justice, equal protection, and the rule of law for everyone in the community."