JON'S CELL: The trial of a 50-year-old Merrill man accused of allegedly killing his wife got underway on Monday, March 7, 2013, with prosecutors providing an opening statement that they believe the man killed his wife so that he could begin a new life with his girlfriend. The man has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide by strangulation and suffocation along with hiding a corpse.
According to court documents, the charges stemmed from an investigation that began back on April 26, 2013, after the man called police to report that his wife had allegedly gone missing after the couple had a discussion about ending their marriage the night before. The woman’s body was later discovered in a swamp located in Taylor County on May 9, 2013.
Investigators have stated that they suspect the man stabbed his wife to death at their residence in the town of Corning and then reportedly removed her body from the premises, hiding it in the swamp. Prosecutors have pointed to several key pieces of evidence that allegedly point to the man as the main suspect in his wife’s death, including the fact that he had burned carpet from the house the same day he reported his wife as missing and that a cadaver dog picked up the man’s scent in a ditch that was in close proximity to where the wife’s body was located.
If convicted, the man could face a life sentence in prison. He currently remains behind bars on a $2 million cash bond.
When a defendant is suspected of a violent crime such as intentional homicide, an experienced Wisconsin criminal attorney may be able to help a defendant with a good criminal defense and assist them through the difficult legal process.
Source: Wausau Daily Herald, “Alleged girlfriend: Suspect in Anita Bucki’s death was just ‘a friend'” Shereen Siewert, Apr. 09, 2014
