Inset: Gordon Laakso (St. Croix County Jail). Background: Home in New Richmond, Wisconsin, where Laakso killed his wife (WEAU).
A 71-year-old Wisconsin man will spend most if not all of the rest of his years behind bars for killing his wife after she "rambled" at him for hours and disposing of her body in a cornfield before expressing surprise that cops hadn't yet discovered her body.
Gordon Charles Laakso was sentenced Friday in St. Croix County Circuit Court to 14 years in prison and six years of probation should he get out before he dies. He pleaded guilty in September to first-degree reckless homicide. He was originally charged with first-degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse by strangulation and suffocation and hiding a corpse in the death of his wife, 68-year-old Mary Laakso in New Richmond, located in western Wisconsin.
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"While we never wish for events of this nature to occur in our community, thanks to outstanding investigative work by the members of the New Richmond Police Department and our law enforcement partners, a strong case and prosecution was made possible and the individual responsible for Mary's death was brought to justice," a press release stated. "Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mary on this day, and we hope today's sentencing brings some resolution."
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers received a call around 1:45 p.m. on March 2 about a possible domestic disturbance at the Laakso home. The 911 caller said Gordon Laakso made concerning statements earlier in the day that he may have harmed his wife.
Cops went to the home in the 1300 block of Bluff Border Road and found Gordon Laakso but not his wife. They also could not reach her by phone. A little more than two hours later, officers found Mary Laakso's body on the edge of a cornfield in a rural area of Polk County, which is north of New Richmond.
A criminal complaint obtained by Eau Claire NBC affiliate WEAU said when cops made initial contact with the suspect, he claimed his wife "rambled" at him for seven hours and then started hitting him. He said things got out of hand but didn't know what else to say to cops, according to the affidavit.
Gordon Laakso additionally stated he knew his wife was dead and instead of taking her to the hospital he panicked and dumped her body. Then, he began packing a suitcase and told cops he was going with them. During a search of the home, cops allegedly found bloody gloves and several firearms.
When detectives asked him where she was, he allegedly responded, "Oh, you didn't find her?" Asked to clarify, he said "she's dead."
