Mother of slain mailman sues alleged killer, company

Associated Press/February 9, 2007

Tulsa, Oklahoma -- The mother of a postal employee who was killed more than five year ago has sued the alleged killer and a corporation that hosted a motivational seminar that the accused reportedly attended.

Jeanne Been, the mother of Robert Jenkins and executor of his estate, seeks an unspecified amount of damages exceeding $10,000 against Jason Weed and Landmark Education Corp.

Weed is accused of killing Jenkins, 30, in December 2001, as Jenkins delivered mail in the 3200 block of south Riverside Drive.

A federal judge in Tulsa in 2002 found Weed not guilty by reason of insanity. He was placed in a federal medical facility in North Carolina, but a judge ordered him released to a psychiatric halfway house in 2005.

The location of the halfway house was not disclosed to the public.

A Tulsa County District Court lawsuit filed on Been's behalf in 2003 was dismissed in 2005 without prejudice, which meant it could be refiled.

Tulsa attorney Oliver Howard, who represents Landmark, said "the plaintiff just dismissed her case rather than proceed to trial."

Been sued Weed and Landmark in Oklahoma County last year, alleging they wrongfully caused Jenkins' death.

A judge ordered that case be transferred to Tulsa County, where it was filed on Tuesday.

Been alleges that Weed attended Landmark classes, where he was "subjected to extreme emotional and psychological stress which caused or contributed to his mental disorders," which in turn resulted in Jenkins' death.

Landmark denies that it engaged in any wrongful conduct.

"We intend to aggressively pursue a dismissal here," Howard said.