Detectives build case in 10-year-old murder

Editor's note: Laurie Juedes, the sister of Ken Juedes, disputes Donald Juedes Allen's account of the phone call he received 10 years ago informing him of Ken's death. This information has been added to the story. 

HULL- Ken Juedes was found dead with two shotgun wounds in his chest on Aug. 30, 2006, and investigators are still trying to solve his case.

Two detectives have been newly assigned to the case as they seek to complete it and, they hope, to give a grieving family some closure.

Juedes, 58, worked as a pharmacist at Memorial Health Care in Medford. He was found dead around 8:20 a.m. that day by his widow, Cindy Schulz-Juedes, in their home in the town of Hull, police said.

Marathon County Detective Greg Bean has been involved with investigating Juedes' death since that day. He said investigators have recently updated their plan of action in a new bid to close the case. One Marathon County detective will spend a majority of his work-time time - about 30  hours a week - devoted to the solving the case, and another detective also will investigate the case part-time.

Investigators have a strong circumstantial case, but they are hoping for a statement or piece of evidence that will help solve the case, Bean said. He said the district attorney has to be careful when he or she decides to prosecute a homicide because there will be only one shot at charging the person. 

Donald Juedes Allen, now 65,  said he learned his brother was dead from a late night phone call from his sister 10 years ago, although Allen's sister, Laurie Juedes  disputes this retelling of events.  He said his family gets updates from investigators every two months or so.   He said the decade-long investigation has been "rough"  for the family, especially for his elderly mother, but he knows investigators have done their best to solve the case. 

"They have done a Herculean job (investigating this case)," Allen said. "They have spent hours and hours on this case, and they have several boxes of files. The problem is much of the evidence is circumstantial."

Allen said although he understands the investigators are trying their best, the 10-year anniversary does bring up feelings of frustration.

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Though investigators have still been unable to bring the killer to justice, Schulz-Juedes has long been considered to be the main person of interest, Bean said. Juedes'  family members  and police have said they believe a $1 million life insurance policy could have been motivation to kill Juedes.

Schulz-Juedes told a reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on Monday afternoon she was aware it was the 10-year anniversary of her husband's death, but she was not interested in commenting further.

"I don't feel I am a person of interest in my husband's death," Schulz-Juedes said to the Wausau Daily Herald in 2013. "Most of the money went to the kids. Moneywise, my husband and I together would have earned more in two years than I ever would have gotten from his death, and I still would have had my husband."

The investigation has taken several twist and turns, including a man who "confessed" in 2013 he drove the gateway car when Butch Patrick, the actor who played Eddie Munster in the TV series "The Munsters," shot Juedes; police said they ruled that theory out pretty quickly.

Bean said investigators never found the murder weapon. He said investigators haven't talked to Schulz-Juedes in several years, and he also said she has never contacted investigators to ask for an update.

It's not uncommon for a murder investigation to take several years, Bean said. He pointed to Rhonda Mertes, 37, who was brutally slain in Wausau in 1999. Her killer, James Emerson, now 52, was convicted 10 years later  for the murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

Bean acknowledges the investigation has been frustrating to him,  but  he hopes the case can come to some conclusion for Juedes' mother, who is now in her late-90s.

Allen said he hopes Theresa Wetzsteon,a Marathon County assistant district attorney who is running unopposed for district attorney this fall will be willing to prosecute the case. Wetzsteon said she is familiar with the case, and she will review the case once the detectives complete their investigation. She is expected to be sworn as the DA on Jan.  3.

"Obviously, we hope to see justice, but after 10 years, memories start to fade away," Allen said.

Arielle Hines: ahines@wausau.gannett.com or 715-297-7518; on Twitter @theariellehines.