Dateline: Secrets Uncovered- What happened to Kevin Mengel?

Kevin Mengel, the 34-year-old Philadelphia resident, was beaten to death with a shovel by his wife's lover and his employee at the family’s MKB Landscaping Co. shop on June 17, 2010.

Kevin Mengel was an ambitious, loving, and caring father to three children he lovingly raised with his wife, Morgan Mengel. Investigations revealed that Morgan's young lover, Stephen Shappell, was the one to deliver the blows to Kevin's head, while his wife was the one behind the plan to poison Kevin's iced tea with concentrated nicotine. As the poisoned drink took time to take its effect, Shappell refused to bide time and hit Kevin's head with a shovel as he passed in front of him.

The third episode of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered season 8 gives us a fair idea of the premise with the synopsis which reads,

"Kevin and Morgan Mengel are happy at first, but when the marriage goes bad, he goes missing; police wonder if he simply left, but a family's relentless pursuit leads to a stunning confrontation and, eventually, the truth."

The episode titled Toxic will be re-aired on November 14, 2023, at 9 pm ET on Oxygen.

---

Who is Kevin Mengel and what happened to him?

Kevin Mengel was born to Kevin E. Mengel Sr. of Downingtown and Kathleen M. Barton of West Chester on July 2, 1976, in Springfield, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The oldest of the three siblings, Kevin grew up with a strained relationship with his father after his parents divorced.

Soon after, he settled down with the love of his life, Morgan Mengel, and had a family of his own. Kevin Mengel did well in his business venture which dealt with urban landscaping and named it MKB Landscaping after his children - Mercedes, Kevin and Billy. The Mengels lived a quiet life at the Golf Club Apartments in West Goshen, Chester County.

Kevin Mengel (Image via Facebook/Kevin Mengel)

However, the Mengels often took breaks from each other due to Morgan's alleged affairs with other men, causing strain in their relationship. Around June 17, 2010, Kevin had allegedly walked out on his family once again. This time, he missed a Father's Day outing with his family and raised concerns among those close to them.

Kevin had texted his family and friends who were checking up on him, saying that he was okay and needed some time away temporarily. However, the style of his communication over texts raised suspicion.

Morgan Mengel (Image via The Mercury)

A Facebook post was also made from Kevin's account but uploaded from a computer instead of his phone. Morgan reassured his family that she was in touch with her husband and he just needed some space. On June 20, 2010, Kevin Mengel’s mother, Kathleen Barton, reported Kevin missing to the West Goshen police.

---

How was Kevin Mengel murdered?

Following Kevin's disappearance, Stephen Michael Shappell, the 21-year-old employee at MKB Landscaping, spent a lot of time at the family home with Morgan Mengel.

On the morning of June 25, 2010, Chris spotted Stephen and Morgan hurriedly leaving with a pile of clothes in her pickup truck. They made a stop at the office when, coincidentally, Detective David Maurer was also present at the shop to check if Kevin had turned up at the office. As Morgan rushed into the office, Stephen took off with the truck, which prompted Morgan to confess the crime but shifted the blame to Stephen instead.

Kevin Mengel with Morgan Mengel (Image via MSNBC)

As investigations progressed, the text messages retrieved from Stephen and Morgan's phones revealed the master plan behind Kevin's murder. The duo had poisoned Kevin's iced tea with concentrated nicotine, but as the concoction took time to show its effects, Stephen resorted to using a shovel to hit Kevin in the back of his head at the workshop. After confirming his death, the duo buried his body in a shallow grave behind Marple-Newtown High School in Delaware County.

Morgan Mengel has been sentenced to life in state prison without parole, while Stephen Shappell has been sentenced to 40-80 years in prison as part of his plea.