Male Serial Killer Dies in Prison
Adam Selene
Spanbauer, 61, was serving life terms for deaths of woman, two girls
in '90s
By JESSE GARZA
of the Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: July 30, 2002
David Spanbauer, one of Wisconsin's most notorious serial killers,
died Monday in the Dodge County Correctional Institution, where he was
serving three life terms plus 403 years for the slayings of two young
girls and an Appleton woman.
Spanbauer, 61, who had heart problems and was suffering from end-stage
liver disease, was pronounced dead at 4:25 p.m. in a prison infirmary,
Dodge County Coroner John Burgbacher said. An autopsy will be
conducted today, he said.
Spanbauer, a paroled sex offender who worked at an Oshkosh soft drink
bottling factory, admitted abducting two girls as they bicycled on
rural roads, killing them and dumping the bodies in rural areas miles
away. He also admitted killing an Appleton woman in her home.
He was convicted of killing 10-year-old Ronelle Eichstadt of Ripon in
1992, 12-year-old Cora Jones of Weyauwega in 1994 and 21-year-old
Trudi Jeschke of Appleton, also in 1994.
Spanbauer was sent to a state prison in Faribault, Minn., in 1994
after his conviction.
"What you have done, Mr. Spanbauer, is unthinkable," Outagamie County
Circuit Judge James Bayorgeon said during sentencing. "It is something
you must live with for the rest of your days."
Spanbauer's attorney, Tom Zoesch, has said that he offered his
client's confessions in exchange for a guarantee that Spanbauer would
be imprisoned out of state. Spanbauer feared he would be killed in a
Wisconsin prison because he was a high-profile offender, Zoesch said.
After serving time in Minnesota, Spanbauer was transferred to the
Dodge County facility in 2000 after his health began to deteriorate,
Zoesch said.
Zoesch maintained contact with Spanbauer over the years and last
visited him in the prison infirmary over the Memorial Day weekend.
"He left instructions with medical staff that he should not be
resuscitated if he had any kind of (medical) failure," Zoesch said.
"He had a dark side - kind of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality,"
Zoesch said. "The dark side was monstrous and evil. But he was always
friendly and cordial to me, asking me how I was doing, both personally
and professionally. He was an intelligent guy."
Outagamie County District Attorney Vince Biskupic, who prosecuted
Spanbauer, called the families of Cora Jones and Ronelle Eichstadt to
tell them of Spanbauer's death.
An Appleton detective notified Jeschke's family.
"We've often talked about how someday he was going to die, and we
didn't know how we were going to react," Jones said in a telephone
interview Monday night.
"It was initially a shock, then a relief almost, like a weight was
taken off you," Jones said.
Biskupic said he could sense the relief felt by the Jones and Jeschke
families.
"I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the state to shed a
tear over this killer's death," Biskupic said. "It's just a shame that
taxpayer dollars had to be used to house him for the last several
years.
"This is one of the examples where I and many people in the state
would have liked to have had the death penalty option available, based
on the repeated and horrific conduct of this despicable man," he said.
Cora Jones and Ronelle Eichstadt disappeared while riding their
bicycles on rural roads and were later found dead. Spanbauer admitted
molesting and killing them.
Jeschke was killed after Spanbauer broke into her home. Her body was
later found in Menominee Park in Oshkosh.
"He had this flip side, this evil side that really controlled him,"
Zoesch said. "It wasn't the way he wanted to be, but he had no control
over what he did."
For the families of Spanbauer's victims, "I would hope that maybe his
demise brings peace or closure to them," Zoesch said.
Cora Jones' father believes Spanbauer's death will put the killer on
trial again.
"I think we feel now is when he's going to meet the true judge," he
said. "Judgment will be passed on him one way or another."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Snyder
>
> Serial killer dies in prison
> Spanbauer, 61, was serving life terms for deaths of woman, two girls
> in '90s
Is that all? Three victims? What a piker!
Margie Velma Barfield, 4 to 7 victims over a period of 9 years.
Executed in North Carolina, 1984
Judy Buenoano, a lover of variety. Poisoned her two husbands,
drowned her son, and then blew up her boyfriend. Executed in
Florida, 1998.
Rhonda Belle Martin was put to death on Oct. 11, 1957, in
Alabama for poisoning her mother, three daughters and two of
her five husbands. Caught while attempting to murder husband
#5, who was the son of husband #4 (also a victim).
Martha Beck, poisoned, bludgeoned, drowned or strangled
between 12 and 20 women in two years. Executed in New York,
1951.
Kate Bender probably killed 50 people.
Susi Olah may have done for 100.
Waltraud Wagner killed as many as 300.
And you want us to be impressed with a meazly THREE?