Linehan, a 35-year-old Olympia homemaker, was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 death in Alaska of Kent John Leppink.
Linehan was arrested in Olympia last year to face the murder charge.
Until her arrest, Linehan had lived on Bigelow Street with her husband, Colin Linehan, a former civilian doctor at Madigan Army Medical Center who served in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, and their school-age daughter.
"My only experience of Mechele has been as a helpful, considerate and generous neighbor," said Marja Eloheimo, who lives next door to the Linehans.
Eloheimo, one of the few neighbors who was willing to go on record with her feelings after the verdict, added that Linehan helped her out when she was going through a difficult time.
"I'm sorry that this is the outcome, and my heart is really aching for" Linehan's daughter, Eloheimo said. "I hoped that it would be different. I'm very sad."
Another neighbor, Debby Saunders, said that she feels for the Linehans, too.
"I always thought just from knowing her as a neighbor that she was innocent," Saunders said. "She'll be missed. She was loved."
