Will details impair Wisconsin case?
MADISON, Wis. — Defense attorneys for the man accused of kidnapping a Wisconsin teenager and killing her parents acknowledged Wednesday that they’re starting the case at a disadvantage after their client gave detectives a detailed confession.
According to a criminal complaint, 21-year-old Jake Patterson outlined in detail for detectives how he gunned down 13-year-old Jayme Closs’ parents Oct.
15 in their home near Barron and abducted the girl. Jayme escaped last week.
Charlie Glynn and Richard Jones, Patterson’s public defenders, told The Associated Press that they face an uphill struggle. Glynn acknowledged that the complaint contains “a very thorough confession.”
“Yes, it looks like you start out behind the eight ball a little bit,” Glynn said.
Terry Sullivan, a Chicago attorney who prosecuted the John Wayne Gacy killings, said he wouldn’t have included so many details in the Patterson complaint.
“I’m befuddled as to why they would release this amount of their evidence,” Sullivan said. “It doesn’t take a lot to hold a defendant, especially on a case like this. This guy certainly doesn’t deserve any sympathy but, under our laws and our constitution, he at least deserves a fair trial. How do you get one if all the jurors have read this?”
Patterson’s father, Patrick Patterson, visited the Barron County Justice Center on Tuesday, saying he wanted to pass a note to the Closs family, CNN reported. Jayme’s grandfather, Robert Naiberg, said Wednesday that he appreciates the father’s sympathy.
“You can’t blame the parents,” Naiberg told the AP. “A guy becomes 21 years old, and sometimes it’s not how he was raised or anything.”
Naiberg said his granddaughter continues to recover. “She doesn’t want to talk to anybody . . . [but her aunt is] bringing her out of her shell slowly,” Naiberg said.