Stephen Shappell, a 58-Year-Old Psychologist, Was Sentenced to 40-To-80 Years in Prison

Morgan Mengel of West Goshen was sentenced to life imprisonment after entering her plea of guilt in Chester County court for conspiring with Stephen Shappell to kill her husband in 2010. She is accused of plotting his killing during 2010.

Prosecutors allege she convinced him to spike his Snapple beverage with liquid nicotine before using two shovels to beat him to death and hide the body near Marple Newtown High School.

Early Life and Education

Steve Shapell is an expert cardiologist located in Smithtown, NY who has over 57 years of experience. A graduate from CORNELL UNIVERSITY/NEW YORK STATE STATUTORY COLLEGES, Steve currently practices cardiology at Suffolk Heart Group and accepts multiple insurance plans.

Today in court, Morgan Mengel of a suburban Philadelphia landscaping company owner pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill her husband Stephen Shappell by poisoning his ice tea with liquid nicotine before using two shovels to beat him to death in June 2010. Prosecutors accuse Morgan Mengel of convincing Stephen Shappell to use toxic gas against her husband before fatally beating him with two shovels at their home in Pennsylvania in 2010.

Morgan Mengel’s mother first raised suspicion of her daughter’s murder on Father’s Day that year when her devoted son failed to call. Additionally, she received text messages purporting to be from an individual claiming he was her spouse.

Professional Career

At Alliant Insurance Services, Shappell brings over 28 years of experience as Executive Vice President for Specialized Claims & Legal. His expertise lies in writing policy language for clients while offering solutions. In his role, he leads a team of legal and risk management experts and provides leadership, strategic consulting, claims resolutions services.

Shappell apologized twice to Kevin Mengel’s family in court and accepted responsibility for his murder, promising that if found guilty, he would serve his full sentence.

Morgan Mengel had convinced 22-year-old Shappell to help her kill her husband by poisoning his Snapple with liquid nicotine on June 17, 2010. When this plan failed, the two then used shovels and beat him to death before burying his body near Maple-Newtown High School. Detectives discovered text conversations between Morgan and Shappell discussing their plot via text messaging services such as WhatsApp.

Achievement and Honors

Shappell earned numerous honors and awards throughout his career. Two 2017 specials of his, The Age of Spin and Deep in the Heart of Texas, both won Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Album; as well as winning an Emmy Award for his role in A Star Is Born.

His loved ones include Alice Parker Shappell; sons Ralph R. Shappell Jr, Randy Shappell and Stephen Shappell; daughter Sally Kilpatrick; eight grandchildren (and two stepgrandchildren); brother and four sisters.

The prosecution claims Morgan Mengel wanted her husband gone and convinced 22-year-old employee Stephen Shappell to poison and beat the deceased with a shovel before burying their bodies near Marple Newtown High School in Philadelphia. By tracking Shappell’s cell phone signal back to Denver, police were eventually able to track him down and arrest him.

Personal Life

Senior Chester County Judge Thomas Gavin sentenced Shappell to 40-80 years of incarceration for her unfathomable murder, which caused tears from Mengel’s family members during a hearing that was interrupted by teary-eyed members of his court. Gavin called it an act ‘of great cruelty.’

Morgan Mengel persuaded Shappell, her lover at the time, to murder Morgan Mengel on West Chester Pike in West Goshen in June 2010. When an attempt at poisoning his ice tea failed, Shappell beat her husband until his skull fractured due to their violent blows. The first shovel reportedly broke during these blows.

Police located Shappell in Denver where he was taken into custody. It is expected he will soon be extradited back to Pennsylvania for prosecution; in his plea he expressed regret over his crime while also offering an apology.

Net Worth

He holds a bachelor of accounting from the University of Colorado and an estimated net worth of around $4 Million.

Shappell managed to save enough money without insurance in 2006 to purchase his first home. Not only has he invested in real estate, he also owns substantial stakes in the insurance business through Alliant Insurance Services Inc, offering property and casualty, workers compensation, employee benefits, underwriting services and surety products.

Alliant was established by Michael C. Shappell in 1992 and became public since 1999. Based in Newport Beach, California and serving clients throughout the US – such as National Insurance Company and AIG as major customers – Alliant is currently one of the country’s largest insurers.