Noble murder closed Noble murder closed (June 07, 2002)

By Candice Shih

For 13 years, the Nobles had a hunch that Mark Mepham Hensley killed their daughter Kathleen. The family's gut feelings were confirmed in court on May 20 when Hensley, now 32, was convicted of first-degree murder.

"It was obvious that he's guilty," said Kathleen Noble's brother Kenneth, who regularly attended the trial, on May 21. His parents, David and Doris Noble, agreed.

At the time of her death in 1989, Kathleen was 23 years old and had been sharing a California Street apartment with Hensley, a co-worker whom she didn't know very well, for two months.

"I met him once. He seemed like a real respectable guy," recalled David. "He didn't talk much."

Kathleen told her family that he was lazy and ignored his chores but she never told them that he was harassing her.

But, according to prosecutor Steven Wagstaffe, Hensley harbored romantic feelings for her and killed her in a jealous rage when she rejected his sexual advances.

Kathleen's bludgeoned body was found in her car in East Palo Alto on March 5, 1989. That year, investigators questioned Hensley and Richard Schaeffer, her boyfriend.

Schaeffer had an alibi, and Doris said the family had known him for a long time and didn't believe he could have committed the murder anyway.

But for ten years it didn't seem to matter, because the case grew cold. East Palo Alto police were inundated with drug-related murders and the Noble investigation fell to the wayside.

It took a letter from the Noble family to Sheriff Don Horsley on the tenth anniversary of Kathleen's death to reopen the case.

"This case was sitting in an old dusty box in East Palo Alto but for them," said Wagstaffe.

The amount of evidence in that box was shocking, said Kenneth.

It appeared clear from blood in and around the apartment that Kathleen was killed there. With no forced entry and Hensley holding the only other key to the apartment, he was a prime suspect.

Hensley, who had moved to Virginia, was arrested on December 20, 1999.

Although he was an obvious suspect, the case was challenging to prosecute, said Wagstaffe, because the evidence was circumstantial, no murder weapon was ever found, and memories had faded after 13 years.

According to the Nobles, who spoke with jurors after the verdict, the jurors were most impressed by the testimony of Dana Margulies, Hensley's ex-fiancée in Virginia. She said Hensley choked her into unconsciousness when she broke up with him.

The jurors also heard an answering machine tape Margulies saved in which Hensley tells her "I'm sorry I tried to kill you."

The jury took four days to deliberate. The five women and seven men opted for first-degree murder because it appeared that Hensley intentionally found a weapon with which to strike Kathleen, said Kenneth after meeting with the jurors.

When the verdict was read aloud, it was a time for the Nobles to emote. Christine, Kathleen's sister, broke down in tears.

And, as Hensley was led out of the courtroom, Schaeffer said "enjoy your life, Mark." Hensley faces 25 years to life in prison.

The Nobles said they are secure in knowing that Hensley's conviction probably saved other lives.

"There's no question in my mind that there'd be another victim," said Wagstaffe. "Women were the ones who had to fear this man."

Margulies also contacted the Nobles and said "Kathleen's death saved my life." She believed Hensley refrained from killing her because Kathleen's murder would then be brought back into the spotlight.

The Nobles said they are now ready to erect a headstone in Kathleen's memory and scatter her remains. And, maybe one day, her twin brother Michael can enjoy his birthday again.