of his graphic novels is being accused of carrying out such an act.
The case has grabbed attention in Canada, where his father, Lorne Leibel, a sailor on the country's 1976 Olympics team, built a fortune constructing homes in the Toronto area and is known for his love of Ferraris and racing powerboats.
The father and his estranged wife, Eleanor Leibel, provided for their two sons when they moved to California years ago, according to papers filed in an Ontario court. Each was given a big house and Blake Leibel lived off an allowance of about $US18,000 ($A24,900) a month over a seven-year period until inheriting most of his mother's estate.
Blake Leibel and his older brother, Cody, were drawn to California because of the weather, said lawyer Ronald Richards, who said he was hired to look after them and keep them out of trouble.
Each pursued different creative paths.
Cody Leibel founded C-Note Records, a now-defunct label, and rubbed elbows with some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
As part of an unlicensed high-stakes poker game that included actor Tobey Maguire
and other hotshots, Cody Leibel got snared in a lawsuit to reclaim money for investors duped in a Ponzi scheme by another gambler.
Blake Leibel, 35, worked in a variety of creative roles, including as a director and creative consultant in 2008 on the animated series based on Mel Brooks 1987 film Spaceballs, according to his profile on IMDb. He wrote a comic book series and penned and directed his own film, Bald, a comedy about a balding college student whose friends create an erotic website to raise money for a hair transplant.
The illustrated novel opens outside a prison where the killer is about to be executed for 38 murders. It then flashes back to scenes of him hanging a couple by their ankles and slitting the man's throat.
The charges against Blake Leibel allege he used a knife to torture, maim and murder Kasian between May 23 and May 26. The elements of torture include the intent to cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for revenge, extortion or a sadistic purpose. By the time she was found, all the blood had drained from her body, prosecutors said.Leibel, who has pleaded not guilty to all counts, faces a mental competency hearing on June 14. If convicted of first-degree murder, he could face the death penalty, though prosecutors haven't decided if they'll seek it.
Defence lawyers have been mum about the case, asking he be given a chance for fair hearing.
Richards said the allegations were hard to grasp. Blake Leibel had been in the process of settling an amicable divorce with his wife while starting a new relationship with Kasian. There were no abuse allegations in the divorce, lawyers for both parties said.
The divorce was filed in July and his wife, Amanda Braun, gave birth to their son the following month.
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