Graphic novelist ordered to pay $41.6 million to family of fiance he murdered, scalped

FOX NEWS -- A graphic novelist who murdered his fiance and mutilated her body has been ordered to pay $41.6 million to his victim's family as a result of a wrongful death lawsuit.

Blake Leibel is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated mayhem and torture last year. He reportedly used the premise of his graphic novel, "Syndrome", as the blueprint for the murder of 30-year-old Iana Kasian in 2016, inspiring him to rip her scalp from her head and drain her blood. Kasian had just given birth to Leibel's child, a baby girl named Diana, weeks before her death.

The child is now being cared for by Kasian's mother in her native Ukraine. The $41.6 million will be used to help her support the girl, who turns three in May, the Los Angeles Times reports.

It was not immediately clear if Leibel, who came from a wealthy family, had the resources to pay the money.

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