A man with mental issues, according to his father, has been charged with the deaths of three elderly people, burglary and driving a vehicle with the owner's consent, as reported by the Huffington Post.
J.K., 31, told investigators that he had entered a farmhouse in a small Wisconsin community on April 27 seeking warmth – as he had discarded all of his clothing.
As each of the victims returned home, J.K. struck them with a fireplace poker until they were dead as he didn't want to be discovered.
The deceased include G.T, 70, his wife C.T., 66, and his brother D.T., 76.
The home is in Wiota, approximately 60 miles southwest of Madison with about 1,000 residents.
J.K. is being represented by a public defender.
On the day of the killings J.K. was tracked to a home in Waukesha – where a truck owned by the family was parked. An officer noted seeing what looked like dried blood on J.K.'s feet and left hand.
J.K. was arrested on April 28. Three days prior to his arrest he had been in police custody and had been released on bail. He had allegedly threatened the staff members at the Waukesha County animal shelter. According to an animal shelter employee, J.K. had come to retrieve a dead dog he had left there weeks earlier. However, J.K. demanded that his dog be returned to him alive.
When the employees couldn't give J.K. what he wanted he threatened that it would cost them their lives.
The criminal complaint states that J.K. said that his life was "crashing and burning around him" after the time in jail. He got into his SUV and drove until he was three counties away. He then abandoned his vehicle, and his clothing – as he thought he may have been followed – and began to run.
The SUV was retrieved in Green County. Two hundred yards from the vehicle officers located all of J.K.'s clothing and his jail ID tag.
J.K. ran until he reached the farmhouse about the time the sun was beginning to set. Believing no one was in the home, and seeking warmth, J.K. allegedly broke through a window to gain access.
He found clothes, food and some valuables before falling asleep on one of the bedroom floors. Sometime later J.K. was awakened by the sound of a man ascending the staircase. Fearing he would be discovered he hit the man with a fireplace poker, killing him.
Later, a man and woman entered the home and J.K., allegedly still fearing that he would be turned in, killed them as well. Along with the poker, J.K. allegedly stabbed the woman with a knife.
Collecting money, blankets and clothing, J.K. took the family's truck and drove to his father's home. J.K.'s father told investigators that his son was under treatment and taking several medications for mental issues. His father further claimed that J.K. appeared confused and had confessed that he had hurt three people the day after the bodies had been discovered.
If you have been charged with a crime and are seeking representation, do yourself a favor and contact a criminal defense attorney. An experienced attorney will help you with your defense and ready you for court.
