Wisconsin man charged with kidnapping girl, 13, and murdering her parents due in court

[March 27, 2019]  By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) - A 21-year-old Wisconsin man charged with kidnapping a teenager and murdering her parents was due to enter a plea in court on Wednesday in a case that included a months-long search for the girl and ended with her escape and his arrest.

Jake Patterson, who told authorities that he randomly decided to abduct Jayme Closs, 13, after watching her board a school bus, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of James and Denise Closs as well as kidnapping and burglary. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Patterson's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patterson admitted that on Oct. 15 he shot and killed the father through the front door of the family home in Barron, in Barron County, with a shotgun, killed his wife in a bathtub and duct-taped Jayme's mouth and stuffed her in the trunk of his car, according to police.

Patterson held Jayme hostage for 88 days in his rural cabin in Gordon in Douglas County, about 112 miles (180 km) northeast of Minneapolis, according to prosecutors. Patterson kept the girl locked in his room and barricaded her under his bed when he had guests, according to court documents.

Patterson is not being charged in Douglas County, where he is accused of holding Jayme captive, due to the severity of the penalties he faces in Barron, the site of the murders. As a result, details of the girl's ordeal in his home may never come to light.

Jake Patterson, 21, accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl after murdering her parents, appears via live video from jail, wearing an orange jumpsuit, during his first court appearance in Barron, Wisconsin, U.S., January 14, 2019. Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minneapolis Star Tribune/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Jayme's abduction and the murder of her parents terrified their small, close-knit community. Hundreds of police officers and thousands of volunteers searched for Jayme from October to January, when she escaped from Patterson's cabin and sought help from a woman walking her dog.

In a letter he wrote from jail to a local television station earlier this month, Patterson said he planned to plead guilty to the charges against him because he does not want the Closs family to "worry about a trial."

"I can't believe I did this," he wrote, adding he felt "huge amounts" of remorse.

Patterson appeared in court last month in a proceeding that lasted three minutes. He told the judge he understood the charges against him and waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the evidence against him.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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