DARLINGTON - Not guilty pleas were entered for Jaren Kuester, the Waukesha man charged with the triple homicide in Wiota Township, during a short but dramatic arraignment Monday, June 3.
Kuester, 31, stood up suddenly after his charges were read and, with no prompting, announced, "Guilty. I'd like to plead guilty, Your Honor" - right as his defense attorney Guy Taylor was telling the judge Kuester would stand mute on the charges.
A moment of discombobulation followed as Taylor and Kuester talked on top of one another.
Judge William Johnston asked Taylor if he and his client needed time to confer.
"That's not necessary," Kuester responded, his voice calm, loud and clear. He sat up straighter during the arraignment than he has during past court appearances. Worry lines appeared to be permanently etched in a V-shape on his forehead.
After some whispered discussion, Taylor convinced Kuester to change his plea and stand mute. The court entered not guilty pleas on the three Class A felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, a Class F felony burglary charge and a Class H felony charge of taking and driving a vehicle without consent.
"It was pretty obvious that there was some confusion," Taylor said after the hearing. Picking his words carefully, he added, "My client's not comfortable where he is. He's anxious to move on."
When pressed on whether Kuester was uncomfortable emotionally or physically, Taylor responded, "I would say everything."
Taylor has previously indicated he intends to explore an insanity plea for Kuester. Monday's plea does not rule out the possibility of that still happening.
A Dane County judge, C. William Foust, will be taking over the Kuester case from Johnston after Taylor filed a successful motion Monday for a new judge. Taylor would not reveal his reasoning for wanting another a judge. Taylor is also filing for a change of venue.
Foust is chief judge of the Fifth Judicial Administrative District, which encompasses Dane, Green, Lafayette and Rock counties.
The case against Kuester was laid out at a hearing in mid-May.
On April 26, Kuester allegedly abandoned his SUV in western Green County, stripped off his clothes and ran several miles until he came upon a barn and home on Philippine Road north of South Wayne.
Kuester later told an investigator he broke into the home through a window and stayed there through early April 28. While there, he bludgeoned two men and a woman as they arrived at the home, then stole a pickup parked outside and drove it to Waukesha, where he was arrested within hours.
Gary Thoreson, 70, his wife Chloe Thoreson, 66, and his brother Dean Thoreson, 76, were found dead in the home on the morning of April 28.
Longtime farmers in the area, the Thoresons were trusted and widely liked. Mourners packed Wiota Lutheran Church a few days after the murders for a candle-lit vigil in the Thoresons' memory.
Kuester, 31, stood up suddenly after his charges were read and, with no prompting, announced, "Guilty. I'd like to plead guilty, Your Honor" - right as his defense attorney Guy Taylor was telling the judge Kuester would stand mute on the charges.
A moment of discombobulation followed as Taylor and Kuester talked on top of one another.
Judge William Johnston asked Taylor if he and his client needed time to confer.
"That's not necessary," Kuester responded, his voice calm, loud and clear. He sat up straighter during the arraignment than he has during past court appearances. Worry lines appeared to be permanently etched in a V-shape on his forehead.
After some whispered discussion, Taylor convinced Kuester to change his plea and stand mute. The court entered not guilty pleas on the three Class A felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide, a Class F felony burglary charge and a Class H felony charge of taking and driving a vehicle without consent.
"It was pretty obvious that there was some confusion," Taylor said after the hearing. Picking his words carefully, he added, "My client's not comfortable where he is. He's anxious to move on."
When pressed on whether Kuester was uncomfortable emotionally or physically, Taylor responded, "I would say everything."
Taylor has previously indicated he intends to explore an insanity plea for Kuester. Monday's plea does not rule out the possibility of that still happening.
A Dane County judge, C. William Foust, will be taking over the Kuester case from Johnston after Taylor filed a successful motion Monday for a new judge. Taylor would not reveal his reasoning for wanting another a judge. Taylor is also filing for a change of venue.
Foust is chief judge of the Fifth Judicial Administrative District, which encompasses Dane, Green, Lafayette and Rock counties.
The case against Kuester was laid out at a hearing in mid-May.
On April 26, Kuester allegedly abandoned his SUV in western Green County, stripped off his clothes and ran several miles until he came upon a barn and home on Philippine Road north of South Wayne.
Kuester later told an investigator he broke into the home through a window and stayed there through early April 28. While there, he bludgeoned two men and a woman as they arrived at the home, then stole a pickup parked outside and drove it to Waukesha, where he was arrested within hours.
Gary Thoreson, 70, his wife Chloe Thoreson, 66, and his brother Dean Thoreson, 76, were found dead in the home on the morning of April 28.
Longtime farmers in the area, the Thoresons were trusted and widely liked. Mourners packed Wiota Lutheran Church a few days after the murders for a candle-lit vigil in the Thoresons' memory.