BARRON, WI (WSAU) -- Charges filed Monday against 21-year-old Jake Patterson could be just the beginning.
During a news conference following Patterson's initial appearance on Monday, Douglas County District Attorney Mark Fruehauf said his team is still processing details of the case that have not been made public.
Charges from Monday in Barron County included two felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, kidnapping, and burglary with a dangerous weapon. If convicted, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on just the homicide charges alone.
Those charges cover just the portion of the crime that happened in Barron County.
RELATED: Complaint: Jayme Closs Details Parents Murder and Her Escape
"My office is still in the process of reviewing the reports on the case to determine whether there are any additional charges that will be filed in Douglas County," said Fruehauf.
Both Fruehauf and Brian Wright, the Barron County DA, emphasized during the news conference that the 12-page criminal complaint does not contain all of the details of the investigation so far, adding that they are not prepared to release any further information in the case at this time.
Fruehauf said if any charges are to come from his office, they could be made before Patterson's next court date on February 6th.
During Monday's news conference Wright said Jayme's courage to escape from the situation when she did should be celebrated, along with those in the Town of Gordon who helped bring her home safely.
"Everything had to fall into place that afternoon. Ten minutes either way, on either side, it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what likely would have been the result. We are so grateful for Jayme and her safe return, and now it's time for us to obtain justice for her and her parents," said Wright.
"If you read the criminal complaint, you can see the amount of control that he was exerting over here. At some point, she found it within herself - at 13 years old - to say 'I'm going to get myself out of this situation,' I think it's incredible."
Comments