BALSAM LAKE, Wis. — An 81-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday in the murder of a romantic rival but will be considered for parole in 20 years' time... if she lives that long.
Mary Jo Bailey was sentenced to a mandatory life term with the possibility of parole in just over 19 years, as called for by Wisconsin state law in 1985 - the year that Bailey fatally shot the other woman involved in a love triangle, Yvonne Menke. Judge Scott Nordstrand told those in the courtroom that state law at that time dictated he could not depart either up or down from the dictated sentence, but if he could, he would set her parole eligibility at 38 years.
"I think it needs to be said how brutal, and how horrific this crime was. And cold-blooded," Nordstrand remarked.
Judge Nordstrand called taking jurors to St. Croix Falls to see for themselves the building where the murder occurred - and having them walk the same stairs Yvonne Menke did on the way to her death - the trial's most striking moment.
A jury convicted Bailey on June 5 in less than two hours for the killing of Menke in the stairwell of her apartment building. Menke, a 45-year-old mother of four children at the time of her death, had given a man named Jack Owen - who was also seeing Bailey - an ultimatum: Choose her, or they were through. During their sentencing arguments Tuesday prosecutors described how Bailey went to the apartment building early on Dec. 12, 1985 - waited as Menke came out to start her car - and then shot her three times, once in the neck and twice in the back of the head as she lay on the ground.
"It wasn't a crime of passion where she lost control of her emotions, she very intentionally, very methodically murdered Yvonne Menke," Assistant Polk County Attorney Holly Webster argued.
The state asked for no parole to be granted, saying Menke's children lived for nearly 39 years knowing her killer had not been brought to justice. They also noted Bailey has not admitted guilt or shown remorse for what she did.
Bailey's defense team said she would not be speaking to the crime as her conviction may be appealed.
Before the sentence was passed down, Menke's daughter Julie, who was 20 at the time of the murder, described the impact Yvonne's violent death had on the family. Julie Connors also shared the guilt she has lived with for unknowingly sharing information with Bailey during a phone call that helped her plan the timing of the killing.
"You waited in a dark stairwell to maliciously murder my mom - you sentenced us to a life filled with pain, sadness and hurt," Connors said during her victim impact statement.
Bailey sat in a wheelchair, listening to the proceedings and sentencing without showing emotion. She will be credited for 232 days served, must provide a DNA sample and pay restitution, including $3,389 to Polk County for transporting her to Wisconsin from Arizona, where she was arrested for Menke's murder.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: