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John and Linda Fields were convicted in the killing of their ranch hand, a Czech immigrant named Jerry Palensky, who disappeared in December 2003 from the Elko couple's property where he resided in his trailer. His body was discovered in the frigid Jordan River near Salt Lake City the following January. An autopsy revealed that Palensky died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Linda Fields was initially convicted in March 2007, receiving a life sentence without parole. Meanwhile, John was found guilty of the crime later in August of that year.
However, Linda's conviction was overturned, and she was released after a new trial and sentencing in 2013. John Fields, on the other hand, was given two life terms with an additional 10 years and is currently serving time at the High Desert State Prison.
An upcoming episode of Calls From the Inside will revisit Jerry Palensky's murder this Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The synopsis of the episode, titled Murdered by Manipulation, which airs on ID at 9.00 pm ET, states:
"When a ranch hand is found dead in a river outside of Salt Lake City, investigators across two states must work together to catch the killer; searching for the truth uncovers a trail of fraud, deception and adultery, shocking a small town in Nevada."
Elko County couple and ranch-onwers convicted in ranch hand Jerry Palensky's murder
Linda Fields was convicted of murder in March 2007, more than three years after Jerry Palensky was bludgeoned to death. She was found guilty of an open murder charge in the death of the 61-year-old ranch hand. Her husband, John Fields, was also convicted on multiple charges in October of the same year.
Palensky's body was found floating in the frigid Jordan River near Salt Lake County in January 2004. An autopsy revealed that he was bludgeoned to death and that his body was in the water for over a week before it was discovered. Multiple sources also state that Palensky was last seen on December 18, 2003, on the Elko County ranch where he worked as a ranch hand for John and Linda Fields.
During Linda's March 2007 trial, prosecutors alleged that Palensky's $300,000 life insurance policy the accused took out in his name was the motive behind the murder. They claimed that either Linda killed the victim herself or persuaded her husband John to kill him. Detectives further claimed that Palensky was murdered in Elko, Nevada, and his body was dumped in the Utah river.
However, the case initially went cold due to insufficient evidence and was only solved after the accused's brother tipped off authorities, claiming that she confessed to killing the victim.
Jerry Palensky was released from prison a few weeks prior to his disappearance in December 2003
According to reports, John Fields and Jerry Palensky had known each other since they first met in New Mexico before the former moved to Nevada and married Linda in 1995. The couple then took in Palensky, who stayed in their basement for two winters in the late 90s since it was too cold to reside in his camp trailer.
Palensky was then arrested and sent to prison for DUI in 2002 and was released in October the following year. He then started working as a ranch hand for John and Linda Fields, residing in a trailer on their property for about six weeks before his disappearance.
While he was in prison, Linda, who was given general power of attorney because of his flimsy hold over the English language, liquidated all his assets to pay off his gambling debts and other loans, as per their agreement. She reportedly sold all his Utah properties and also used money from his savings account to pay any further debts and utility bills for his trailer space and had his trailer moved to the ranch.
Linda claimed that Palensky requested that she take out the life insurance in his name and put her name as the beneficiary because he feared for his life. Upon his release from prison in October 2003, Palensky moved into his trailer on the Fields' ranch and started working for them.
Sources state that Linda, being the sole beneficiary, tried to claim the insurance money three weeks after Palensky's body was found.
Where are John and Linda Fields now?
Although Linda Fields was initially sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, her conviction was overturned, and she was given a fresh trial in 2013 when she was found guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, receiving a 10-year sentence. However, when given credit for the time already served, Linda was released not long after the sentencing.
Meanwhile, John Fields was also charged and put on trial for Jerry Palensky's killing in 2007 and was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and use of a deadly weapon in October of that year. He was given two life sentences plus ten years in prison. Sources state that he is currently serving time at the High Desert State Prison.
ID's Calls From the Inside will further delve into John and Linda Fields' convictions in the upcoming episode this Tuesday, February 21.
