Man who killed wife in front of kids has parole rescinded
MADISON - State officials rescinded a decision to parole a man who stabbed his estranged wife more than 40 times in front of their children, an uncommon reversal sought by Gov. Tony Evers just six days before the convicted killer was eligible to leave prison.
The move Friday evening came just hours after Evers implored the chairman of the Wisconsin Parole Commission to reconsider his decision to release Douglas Balsewicz more than 50 years before his sentence expired.
Evers sent the letter to Chairman John Tate following a meeting with the victim’s family, who had been asking for a conversation for days, and under heavy criticism from Republicans vying to defeat him in November.
The governor met with several relatives of Johanna Rose Balsewicz, a mother of two who was killed in 1997 at age 23 by Douglas Balsewicz — a meeting that left the victim’s daughter and sisters hopeful, they said.
“I think it’s very wrong what Tate did and decided and I hope he changes his mind after this,” Nikkole Nelson, Johanna Balsewicz’s daughter, said outside of Evers’ office after the meeting.
Nelson witnessed her mother’s brutal murder at 2 years old.
By Friday evening, the parole had been revoked.
“I understand the concerns raised by the Governor regarding victim input into the parole process,” Tate said in an email. “Given the importance of the opportunity for victims to be heard and for their input to be meaningfully considered, I have placed the parole grant on hold, effectively immediately, and will be rescinding my previous approval of parole.”
“Oh my God, are you kidding me?” Kim Cornils, Johanna Balsewicz’s sister, exclaimed to an Associated Press reporter when he told her in a phone call that Tate had agreed to rescind Douglas Balsewicz’s parole. “Oh my God, thank you. Thank you so much. That is good.”
Tate rescinded the decision to grant parole despite telling the Racine Journal Times earlier Friday that it was extremely unlikely for Douglas Balsewicz’s parole to be revoked at this point, now that it has already been approved. Tate said should his parole be revoked, the state would likely be sued successfully.
In the letter to Tate, Evers said he did not have the authority to block Tate’s decision to grant early parole to Douglas Balsewicz but urged him to consider new statements from the victim’s family “to determine whether this additional victim input changes your opinion as to whether release would depreciate the seriousness of this offense.”
“I do not agree with this decision, and I have considerable concerns regarding whether Johanna’s family was afforded sufficient opportunity to voice their memories, perspectives, and concerns before this decision was made,” Evers wrote.
Cornilssaid the family didn’t receive official notification by mail that Tate had granted parole for Douglas Balsewicz until Thursday — six days before he was scheduled to be released.
Douglas Balsewicz, 54, fatally stabbed his estranged wife, Johanna, more than 40 times in her West Allis home in 1997, while the couple’s two small children were present. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction.
He pleaded guilty to second-degree homicide and armed burglary, and was sentenced to 40 years on each count.
Douglas Balsewicz was first eligible for parole in 2017 and was denied. A panel of the Parole Commission reviewed his case last month for a fifth time.
Tate, who was appointed by Evers, approved Douglas Balsewicz’s parole on April 27. The Fox Lake Correctional Center could have released him as early as Tuesday under the nowrescinded decision.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporting on the 1997 homicide by David Doege, a former reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel who died in 2008, is included in this story.