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Jake Patterson pleads guilty in Wisconsin murders, kidnapping

By Sam Howard
Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional homicide and another count of kidnapping Wednesday in a Wisconsin courtroom. Photo courtesy of Barron County Sheriff's Department
Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional homicide and another count of kidnapping Wednesday in a Wisconsin courtroom. Photo courtesy of Barron County Sheriff's Department

March 27 (UPI) -- The 21-year-old man charged with killing two Wisconsin parents and kidnapping their 13-year-old daughter pleaded guilty to the crimes Wednesday.

Jake Patterson, of Gordon, Wis., appeared in a Barron County courtroom and entered a guilty plea on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and a third count of kidnapping, Wisconsin online court records indicate.

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A fourth felony, burglary while armed with a dangerous weapon, was dismissed, the court records show.

Patterson was charged in mid-January in the killing of James M. Closs, 56, and Denise J. Closs, 46, the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

They were found dead in their Barron, Wis., home in mid-October. Jayme was missing until January, when she escaped Patterson's captivity and was found some 65 miles north of Barron in Douglas County, Wis.

A criminal complaint said Patterson targeted Jayme for kidnapping when he spotted her boarding a school bus. He raided her home and shot her parents to death before kidnapping the girl.

Jayme was held under a bed for hours on end during her captivity, according to the complaint.

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As part of his guilty plea, Patterson will not face charges related to potential crimes committed in Douglas County, court records show.

Patterson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, according to the court records, and faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. His cash bond, set in January at $5 million, was revoked Wednesday.

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