MONROE — A not guilty plea as been entered for an Illinois woman accused of killing her husband’s grandmother in her rural Wisconsin home last Winter.
Shannon Bussan, of Elizabeth, Ill., is accused of first-degree intentional homicide in the Feb. 27 death of Lynne Montgomery, 83, Benton. She was reportedly an intermittent companion or caregiver to Montgomery and authorities — citing cell phone logs and other data — contend she was in the area of the victim’s home prior to her death.
In a hearing on Tuesday, May 23, Dane County Circuit Judge Mario White also reduced her bond in the case to $100,000 from the initial $1,000,000 bond set shortly after her arrest.
Bussan’s attorney asked for a change of judges during an earlier hearing March 28 before Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Duane Jorgenson.
Montgomery’s death was initially thought to be of natural causes but after relatives found what they thought were suspicious circumstances, police were called back to the home, in the 5000 block of Carr Factory Road in Benton, to take another look -- culminating in the first-degree murder charges.
As a result, the suspect, who is from Elizabeth in Illinois, was arrested last March in nearby Galena without incident. She was sent back to Wisconsin for prosecution.
In addition to posting the $100,000 bond, she has been ordered to have no contact with the family of the victim, except for her husband. And she must remain in Carroll County except for court appearances in the Lafayette County case.
According to police reports, the victim may have left notes around the house alleging that her caregiver, Bussan, 30, was trying to harm her in the days and weeks leading up to her death, which an autopsy revealed was caused by blunt force trauma and possible strangulation
Bussan initially told authorities that Montgomery, who she referred to as “Grandma”, must have fallen while alone and that Bussan found Montgomery between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. that day. She further told police she checked for signs of life, but found none. Next, she called and texted her husband in a panic before ultimately calling 9-1-1, just after 4 p.m.
But the next day, family members looking through the home alerted local authorities of the existence of several disturbing handwritten notes, in which the victim reported being threatened and fearful. A safe containing valuables was also moved but never broken in to, authorities said.
An autopsy was performed, showing Montgomery’s bruising and injuries were likely not from a singular fall, but perhaps by blunt force trauma. It also showed that her death was not of a typical medical event, but by apparent suffocation — possibly by smothering using a pillow or something else or by “compression asphyxia.”
Days later, Bussan was arrested on homicide charges and jailed on a $1 million bond. She remains in custody. Her next scheduled appearance is scheduled for August 23 before judge White. If she is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide Bussan faces a sentence of life in prison.