MONROE - On Monday, Casey Shelton will be sentenced for killing one of his twin two-month-old sons, Christopher.
Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer could sentence Shelton, 33, to spend as many as 40 years in prison and another 20 years of extended supervision. Shelton was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide on Jan. 17. His sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Green County Courthouse.
In November, he'll stand trial on charges he abused his other son, Charles. Since he was arrested more than two years ago, Shelton has spent every day in the Green County Jail, giving him plenty of time to think about what happened, and about his future.
Shelton says he's scared, and worried. But he says he's found religion, and tries to avoid thinking about everything that happened.
"I place my faith in God that he will make this right. I felt his hand in this," Shelton told the Times during two interviews at the jail in July.
He's earned three certificates in a Bible study class he's taking in jail. He said he started talking to chaplains at the jail shortly after being taken into custody in May 2007.
"I definitely wish I'd focused on religious things before this," Shelton said.
Alice Franks-Gray is the executive director of Green Haven Family Advocates of Monroe, an organization that provides advice, relief and shelter for victims of domestic abuse. She, too, will be watching Monday's sentencing with intense interest. She says Shelton's words from the jail are as insincere and manipulative as he was in the days, months and years leading up to killing his son. She says Shelton shows signs of being a sociopath who's seeking to be portrayed as a victim.
"Nearly all abusers portray themselves as a victim, but a sociopath isn't able to experience emotion the way other people do," she said. "They want to create chaos and stand back and watch everyone's reactions."
Franks-Gray objects to Shelton's interviews being published in the Times, and said she's very suspicious of his comments, particularly those that God's hand is involved in what he's gone through.
"For him to say that God's hand is in this doesn't reflect the God I know," she said.
"It would have been better for him to find God before he caused so much pain for other people."
Shelton continues to maintain his innocence, offering a litany of reasons Christopher may have died, other than at his own father's hands. He says an immunization two weeks earlier could have led to Christopher's death. He also says his son may have choked on his own vomit.
He blames law enforcement for making him the lone suspect. He blames the prosecution for stacking the evidence against him. He once blamed his trial attorney for his handling of the case, but now says he did a good job. He claims his new attorney is ignoring him.
But the evidence presented in his weeklong trial overwhelmingly showed that Christopher died of a very recent brain injury caused by being shaken, something that only could have happened in the hours Shelton spent alone with his two sons before he called 9-1-1 to report that Christopher wasn't breathing.
Shelton claims he rejected a plea deal, a claim the Green County district attorney's office wouldn't address. The D.A.'s office, Green County Sheriff's Department and Shelton's trial attorney and current attorney declined to comment for this story.
"I didn't take (the deal) because I'm innocent," Shelton said. "I'm not going to quit fighting."
Yet Shelton did not testify in his own defense during his trial. Now, he says he should have defended himself, but was afraid his testimony would adversely affect his case. He wasn't sure how jurors would react to his testimony, he said.
Shelton says he may make a statement at his sentencing hearing Monday.
"I've been thinking about it," he said, "but I'm not sure if anything I say would hurt me. (The statement) might be used against me."
Franks-Gray said all of these responses are typical of sociopaths who are guilty of the crime.
"He truly believes that he's the victim," Franks-Gray said. "People like him believe the system is out to get them and that the system is corrupt, yet when pressed to prove those claims they don't have any evidence.
"He's attempting to convince himself and anyone who will listen that he is not the child murderer the evidence and science prove him to be."
• • •
The Times interviewed Shelton at his request. In a letter to the Times dated June 22, he said he would offer "proof of corruption by certain authorities in this county," as well as evidence of misconduct and incompetence by others involved in the case.
While Shelton was critical of authorities and made claims of corruption during the interviews, he offered no evidence.
He also said that if the newspaper tried to set up an interview with the Green County Sheriff's Department, "I bet it goes nowhere."
Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick quickly granted the Times access to Shelton in the jail, and interviews of about two hours each were conducted July 8 and July 28. At the jail, Shelton's just another prisoner. He stays with the general population in the jail, and he talked to the Times behind a sheet of glass in the visitors' section.
During his first interview, Shelton calmly answered questions with little emotion in his voice. He talked mostly about possible reasons for Christopher's death, and about the trial, the prosecution and his own defense counsel. He said little about his two sons.
When asked during a second interview why he said so little about the children, Shelton said, "It's hard to talk about them," and wiped tears from his eyes. "I miss Christopher."
He hasn't seen Charles since he's been in jail, he said.
Shelton showed the most anger during the interviews when discussing the trial testimony of Dr. Robert Corliss, who told jurors Christopher died from a traumatic brain injury suffered just before he died. Shelton was at their Decatur township residence alone with the two boys at the time of Christopher's death.
Corliss said he noticed bleeding on both sides of Christopher's brain, which is common with a child who has been shaken. Corliss also testified that during the autopsy he noticed three fractured ribs that had started to heal, which indicated an adult had squeezed the child.
"Corliss said what the prosecution wanted him to say," Shelton said, his voice changed and his lips pressed tightly together.
Franks-Gray calls Corliss one of the premier pathologists in the Midwest, and said his testimony proved to the jury Shelton's guilt and previous abuse of the children.
"There aren't too many ways for a child Christopher's age to get his ribs fractured in the pattern Corliss discussed," she said. "A brain injury requires trauma. It doesn't happen from a minor fall."
Shelton's week-long trial involved testimony that he abused his sons. His live-in girlfriend also testified that he abused her.
It was more than two months after Christopher's death that his girlfriend first told detectives Shelton abused the children. He was taken into custody a few days later.
Franks-Gray said it's not uncommon for a victim to wait a while before they feel safe enough to talk to anyone about abuse.
"In intensely abusive situations where the abuser repeatedly leaves court without punishment, victims feel they can never be protected, that nothing will ever be done," she said. "It's not uncommon for victims who feel the system won't protect them to not talk to anyone about the danger around them."
Though Shelton has continually denied the allegations, Franks-Gray said Shelton's past history shows that, as is typical of abusers, he repeatedly established relationships with women he could abuse. "They can be charming, engaging people - like Ted Bundy, for instance," Franks-Gray said.
"I've gotten myself in some messes," Shelton said. "I feel I haven't been treated fairly. As soon as I made the 9-1-1 call, I was a murderer."
Shelton admits he's had "issues" with other past girlfriends. According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access site, in 2003 a woman filed a restraining order against Shelton, which he says was only part of the story. Earlier that year, he pleaded no contest to unlawful use of the phone, threatening with obscenity, an unclassified felony. He was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to have no contact with the victim and to undergo domestic abuse counseling.
"I've had a problem getting with women I shouldn't have. Instead of leaving, I try to make it work," Shelton said.
• • •
One of Shelton's theories of how Christopher might have died is that he choked on his own vomit. He told detectives at the hospital the night of Christopher's death that the baby had vomited earlier in the evening.
There were no signs of vomit when detectives searched the apartment. Green County Sheriff's Department detective Terry Argue testified that a towel Shelton claimed to have used to clean up after Christopher became sick was in the washing machine and there was nothing on the carpet to indicate the baby had choked.
Shelton said he cleaned up the carpet and the towel after the Emergency Medical Services personnel took Christopher to the hospital. He had to wait for a few minutes while his girlfriend got home from work before they could go the hospital.
He said he got Charles ready to go to the hospital so they could leave as soon as she arrived home.
"I picked up the towels and threw them in the wash. I was just cleaning up the mess. If you leave that on towels for very long they stain," he said.
Shelton said he never understood why his cleaning of the towel and the carpet was such an issue in court.
"I'm naturally a neat person, but I'm not a neat freak," he said. "It only takes a minute to put dirty clothes in the washer and turn it on."
Shelton said he was considered a suspect in Christopher's death from the moment he called 9-1-1. He said the prosecution had the upper hand when it came to the trial.
"This is the state versus me. You have a state doctor working at a state hospital with a state appointed lawyer to defend me," Shelton said. "I want the truth to be known."
Franks-Gray said Christopher's death should be a wake-up call for everyone.
Abuse can and does happen in Green County. It can happen to anyone.
"Unfortunately, Christopher's death provides us an opportunity to change the dialogue about domestic abuse and child abuse and seek greater protection for victims. We have to figure out a way to not bury another 2-month-old," she said.
Franks-Gray said only 10 percent of abusive men stop physically abusing, and between 40 percent and 60 percent of men who abuse their spouses also abuse children as a way to control their spouses or partners.
"If you have begun a new relationship, take care of yourself, particularly if the person is just too good to be true" she said. "Look at Wisconsin Circuit Court Access or the sexual assault registry to find out if the person you're dating has a history of violence or abuse.
"You need to have the best information you can for your safety and your children's safety. The justice system should not be your first line of defense."
Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer could sentence Shelton, 33, to spend as many as 40 years in prison and another 20 years of extended supervision. Shelton was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide on Jan. 17. His sentencing is set for 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Green County Courthouse.
In November, he'll stand trial on charges he abused his other son, Charles. Since he was arrested more than two years ago, Shelton has spent every day in the Green County Jail, giving him plenty of time to think about what happened, and about his future.
Shelton says he's scared, and worried. But he says he's found religion, and tries to avoid thinking about everything that happened.
"I place my faith in God that he will make this right. I felt his hand in this," Shelton told the Times during two interviews at the jail in July.
He's earned three certificates in a Bible study class he's taking in jail. He said he started talking to chaplains at the jail shortly after being taken into custody in May 2007.
"I definitely wish I'd focused on religious things before this," Shelton said.
Alice Franks-Gray is the executive director of Green Haven Family Advocates of Monroe, an organization that provides advice, relief and shelter for victims of domestic abuse. She, too, will be watching Monday's sentencing with intense interest. She says Shelton's words from the jail are as insincere and manipulative as he was in the days, months and years leading up to killing his son. She says Shelton shows signs of being a sociopath who's seeking to be portrayed as a victim.
"Nearly all abusers portray themselves as a victim, but a sociopath isn't able to experience emotion the way other people do," she said. "They want to create chaos and stand back and watch everyone's reactions."
Franks-Gray objects to Shelton's interviews being published in the Times, and said she's very suspicious of his comments, particularly those that God's hand is involved in what he's gone through.
"For him to say that God's hand is in this doesn't reflect the God I know," she said.
"It would have been better for him to find God before he caused so much pain for other people."
Shelton continues to maintain his innocence, offering a litany of reasons Christopher may have died, other than at his own father's hands. He says an immunization two weeks earlier could have led to Christopher's death. He also says his son may have choked on his own vomit.
He blames law enforcement for making him the lone suspect. He blames the prosecution for stacking the evidence against him. He once blamed his trial attorney for his handling of the case, but now says he did a good job. He claims his new attorney is ignoring him.
But the evidence presented in his weeklong trial overwhelmingly showed that Christopher died of a very recent brain injury caused by being shaken, something that only could have happened in the hours Shelton spent alone with his two sons before he called 9-1-1 to report that Christopher wasn't breathing.
Shelton claims he rejected a plea deal, a claim the Green County district attorney's office wouldn't address. The D.A.'s office, Green County Sheriff's Department and Shelton's trial attorney and current attorney declined to comment for this story.
"I didn't take (the deal) because I'm innocent," Shelton said. "I'm not going to quit fighting."
Yet Shelton did not testify in his own defense during his trial. Now, he says he should have defended himself, but was afraid his testimony would adversely affect his case. He wasn't sure how jurors would react to his testimony, he said.
Shelton says he may make a statement at his sentencing hearing Monday.
"I've been thinking about it," he said, "but I'm not sure if anything I say would hurt me. (The statement) might be used against me."
Franks-Gray said all of these responses are typical of sociopaths who are guilty of the crime.
"He truly believes that he's the victim," Franks-Gray said. "People like him believe the system is out to get them and that the system is corrupt, yet when pressed to prove those claims they don't have any evidence.
"He's attempting to convince himself and anyone who will listen that he is not the child murderer the evidence and science prove him to be."
• • •
The Times interviewed Shelton at his request. In a letter to the Times dated June 22, he said he would offer "proof of corruption by certain authorities in this county," as well as evidence of misconduct and incompetence by others involved in the case.
While Shelton was critical of authorities and made claims of corruption during the interviews, he offered no evidence.
He also said that if the newspaper tried to set up an interview with the Green County Sheriff's Department, "I bet it goes nowhere."
Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick quickly granted the Times access to Shelton in the jail, and interviews of about two hours each were conducted July 8 and July 28. At the jail, Shelton's just another prisoner. He stays with the general population in the jail, and he talked to the Times behind a sheet of glass in the visitors' section.
During his first interview, Shelton calmly answered questions with little emotion in his voice. He talked mostly about possible reasons for Christopher's death, and about the trial, the prosecution and his own defense counsel. He said little about his two sons.
When asked during a second interview why he said so little about the children, Shelton said, "It's hard to talk about them," and wiped tears from his eyes. "I miss Christopher."
He hasn't seen Charles since he's been in jail, he said.
Shelton showed the most anger during the interviews when discussing the trial testimony of Dr. Robert Corliss, who told jurors Christopher died from a traumatic brain injury suffered just before he died. Shelton was at their Decatur township residence alone with the two boys at the time of Christopher's death.
Corliss said he noticed bleeding on both sides of Christopher's brain, which is common with a child who has been shaken. Corliss also testified that during the autopsy he noticed three fractured ribs that had started to heal, which indicated an adult had squeezed the child.
"Corliss said what the prosecution wanted him to say," Shelton said, his voice changed and his lips pressed tightly together.
Franks-Gray calls Corliss one of the premier pathologists in the Midwest, and said his testimony proved to the jury Shelton's guilt and previous abuse of the children.
"There aren't too many ways for a child Christopher's age to get his ribs fractured in the pattern Corliss discussed," she said. "A brain injury requires trauma. It doesn't happen from a minor fall."
Shelton's week-long trial involved testimony that he abused his sons. His live-in girlfriend also testified that he abused her.
It was more than two months after Christopher's death that his girlfriend first told detectives Shelton abused the children. He was taken into custody a few days later.
Franks-Gray said it's not uncommon for a victim to wait a while before they feel safe enough to talk to anyone about abuse.
"In intensely abusive situations where the abuser repeatedly leaves court without punishment, victims feel they can never be protected, that nothing will ever be done," she said. "It's not uncommon for victims who feel the system won't protect them to not talk to anyone about the danger around them."
Though Shelton has continually denied the allegations, Franks-Gray said Shelton's past history shows that, as is typical of abusers, he repeatedly established relationships with women he could abuse. "They can be charming, engaging people - like Ted Bundy, for instance," Franks-Gray said.
"I've gotten myself in some messes," Shelton said. "I feel I haven't been treated fairly. As soon as I made the 9-1-1 call, I was a murderer."
Shelton admits he's had "issues" with other past girlfriends. According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access site, in 2003 a woman filed a restraining order against Shelton, which he says was only part of the story. Earlier that year, he pleaded no contest to unlawful use of the phone, threatening with obscenity, an unclassified felony. He was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to have no contact with the victim and to undergo domestic abuse counseling.
"I've had a problem getting with women I shouldn't have. Instead of leaving, I try to make it work," Shelton said.
• • •
One of Shelton's theories of how Christopher might have died is that he choked on his own vomit. He told detectives at the hospital the night of Christopher's death that the baby had vomited earlier in the evening.
There were no signs of vomit when detectives searched the apartment. Green County Sheriff's Department detective Terry Argue testified that a towel Shelton claimed to have used to clean up after Christopher became sick was in the washing machine and there was nothing on the carpet to indicate the baby had choked.
Shelton said he cleaned up the carpet and the towel after the Emergency Medical Services personnel took Christopher to the hospital. He had to wait for a few minutes while his girlfriend got home from work before they could go the hospital.
He said he got Charles ready to go to the hospital so they could leave as soon as she arrived home.
"I picked up the towels and threw them in the wash. I was just cleaning up the mess. If you leave that on towels for very long they stain," he said.
Shelton said he never understood why his cleaning of the towel and the carpet was such an issue in court.
"I'm naturally a neat person, but I'm not a neat freak," he said. "It only takes a minute to put dirty clothes in the washer and turn it on."
Shelton said he was considered a suspect in Christopher's death from the moment he called 9-1-1. He said the prosecution had the upper hand when it came to the trial.
"This is the state versus me. You have a state doctor working at a state hospital with a state appointed lawyer to defend me," Shelton said. "I want the truth to be known."
Franks-Gray said Christopher's death should be a wake-up call for everyone.
Abuse can and does happen in Green County. It can happen to anyone.
"Unfortunately, Christopher's death provides us an opportunity to change the dialogue about domestic abuse and child abuse and seek greater protection for victims. We have to figure out a way to not bury another 2-month-old," she said.
Franks-Gray said only 10 percent of abusive men stop physically abusing, and between 40 percent and 60 percent of men who abuse their spouses also abuse children as a way to control their spouses or partners.
"If you have begun a new relationship, take care of yourself, particularly if the person is just too good to be true" she said. "Look at Wisconsin Circuit Court Access or the sexual assault registry to find out if the person you're dating has a history of violence or abuse.
"You need to have the best information you can for your safety and your children's safety. The justice system should not be your first line of defense."