Mark Totzke
Posted on 12/02/2007 11:16:40 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
(Son who killed mother at Oconomowoc home will be eligible for parole in 50 years)
Waukesha, WI - Saying the ax murder of Gloria Jean Totzke by her son might be the most brutal, violent and gruesome criminal act he has seen in his career, a judge imposed a life prison sentence Friday for Mark Totzke, with no chance for parole until he is an old man.
It was not the harshest sentence Totzke, 29, could have received for the 2006 slaying, but it came close.
Under state law, a life term is mandatory after a conviction of first-degree intentional homicide.
The only significant issue that Waukesha County Circuit Judge Lee S. Dreyfus Jr. had to decide was whether to impose life with no possibility for parole, or when Totzke should become eligible for parole.
Dreyfus determined Totzke would not be eligible for parole for 50 years. With credit for jail time already served, Totzke would be 78 when his first chance at parole arrives.
Parole "needs to be far enough out that if indeed you are going to be released at some point. . . you would not be in a position where you could be deemed to be potentially harmful to anyone else," Dreyfus told Totzke.
During the sentencing Friday, Deputy District Attorney Stephen J. Centinario Jr. argued for a parole eligibility date well beyond 20 years to ensure Totzke would never again "quietly enter a bedroom. . . with an ax in his hand with murderous intent."
According to court documents, the body of Gloria Jean Totzke, 59, was found in her bed at her Oconomowoc home Aug. 10, 2006. Blood was spattered throughout the room, and the ax used to kill her was on the floor beside the bed.
Authorities contended Mark Totzke killed his mother because she ridiculed him for being unemployed, the affidavit says. Centinario called the killing an evil plan.
While Gloria Jean Totzke was sleeping in her bed, her son quietly entered her bedroom, turned on a light and "rushed to the side of the bed, raising an ax over his head and swinging it," Centinario said Friday. "The defendant propelled that ax head at her neck and face at least 10 times."
Mark Totzke had asserted he was criminally insane when he committed the killing. He told mental health experts who examined him and police that he killed his mother because she was in on a CIA plot to control his life. He said he had been secretly drugged and fitted with a microchip in his brain by the CIA.
He pleaded guilty in October to first-degree intentional homicide and decided to have Dreyfus, rather than a jury, determine whether he deserved a life prison term or mental health treatment for the rest of his life. No criminal insanity
The mental health experts who testified during the trial agreed Totzke was mentally ill, but two of the three said he could tell right from wrong. Based on that, Dreyfus ruled Nov. 12 that Totzke was not criminally insane.
Totzke's attorney, Anthony Rosario, argued Friday that Totzke should get a shot at parole in 20 years. If Totzke had not been mentally ill and suffering from delusions, he would not have killed his mother, Rosario said.
"He still believes that these are not delusions. . . . And he still to this day believes the CIA will step in and rescue him from this tragic situation," Rosario said. Totzke speaks out
That was reflected in Totzke's statement to the judge.
"I know my mom will be sorely missed by her friends and family. I loved her also and mourn in her death. The beliefs I hold that set the stage for this tragedy have been described as delusions. I know this to be not true. Mental delusions do not produce physical manifestations. I hope one day that the truth will come out so justice can be served," he said Friday.
Mark Totzke
Fascinating and horrifying. He must be posessed.
He does look crazy.
I could never understand the laws that allow crazy people not to be responsible for their crimes. I always thought that it was just another reason why they should be locked up or removed from society at large.
So did H.L. Mencken.
You should give your kids two things; Roots and Wings. But not axes. Never axes. ;)
Glad to see him gone for a good long time. Another good argument/example for WI needing a Death Penalty.
About 15 years ago, my son-in-law was brutally murdered. The DA here told my daughter that the death penalty was a given. My daughter told him she didn’t want the death penalty, because, in her own words, “I want him picking cucumbers all day and getting butt****ed all night”.
Well, the jury was out about 15 minutes-life without parole. Now we find out he’ll be getting out soon due to overcrowding...ya just can’t win...
We shoot mad dogs.
“...where exactly is the state of Wisconsin going to expect this guy to go live?”
Yep. I wonder about that too, in cases like this. Again, another good reason to put these dogs down, versus the Wisconsin Taxpayers footing the bill for his “life” in prison and then he going on the dole once he gets out, even if he is an old Grandpa.
However, unless they keep him away from everyone else in prison, there’s a good chance he’ll be “Dahmerized.” And most won’t shed a tear.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.