DARLINGTON - A $3 million cash bail is set for the lone suspect in last weekend's triple homicide in rural South Wayne near Wiota.
Jaren M. Kuester, 31, Waukesha, appeared in court Thursday, May 2, via video conferencing from the Lafayette County Jail.
Kuester's next court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, May 10 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Darlington. He is being held on three tentative charges of homicide and is also being investigated for burglary and theft, as approved by a probable cause statement signed by Judge William Johnston Tuesday morning.
His public defender, Guy Taylor, asked for a $300,000 cash bail.
Johnston denied the request, instead agreeing to a $3 million cash bail as requested by Lafayette County District Attorney Kate Findley.
Kuester is not yet formally charged in the case. Investigators are continuing to sift through what Sheriff Scott Pedley has described as a "huge volume" of evidence. A criminal complaint against Kuester won't be filed until the investigation is complete.
"Search warrants issued during this investigation have also been ordered sealed. Sealing these documents is necessary in order to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal cases," Pedley said in a news release.
The full probable cause statement signed Tuesday by Johnston has also been ordered to remain sealed for at least the next 60 days "and it may be extended at the discretion of the judge," Pedley said.
Pedley is declining further comment "to preserve the integrity of this major case investigation."
Kuester was taken into custody Sunday, April 28 as a "person of interest" in the murders of brothers Dean Thoreson, 76, and Gary Thoreson, 70, and Gary's wife Chloe Thoreson, 66. The bodies of the victims were discovered Sunday morning at Gary and Chloe Thoreson's home on Philippine Road north of South Wayne.
Kuester's abandoned vehicle was found Saturday, April 27 on the western edge of Green County in Cadiz Township. Investigators believe he hiked naked or half-naked through the marshy, brush-filled land and across the Pecatonica River to the property the Thoresons farmed. He was reported missing over the weekend, and his family and friends told authorities they were concerned about his mental health. Kuester had just been released on bond from the Waukesha jail Friday on an obstructing charge.
The crime was apparently at random. Kuester did not know the Thoresons, according to the Pedley. It isn't clear why Kuester, who has no apparent ties to the area, would have chosen to go there.
The ongoing investigation into the murders continues, Pedley said. Reports from detectives and Department of Criminal Investigation agents "are being compiled and interviews of citizens in our area, the Waukesha area and elsewhere are being conducted."
Jaren M. Kuester, 31, Waukesha, appeared in court Thursday, May 2, via video conferencing from the Lafayette County Jail.
Kuester's next court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, May 10 at the Lafayette County Courthouse in Darlington. He is being held on three tentative charges of homicide and is also being investigated for burglary and theft, as approved by a probable cause statement signed by Judge William Johnston Tuesday morning.
His public defender, Guy Taylor, asked for a $300,000 cash bail.
Johnston denied the request, instead agreeing to a $3 million cash bail as requested by Lafayette County District Attorney Kate Findley.
Kuester is not yet formally charged in the case. Investigators are continuing to sift through what Sheriff Scott Pedley has described as a "huge volume" of evidence. A criminal complaint against Kuester won't be filed until the investigation is complete.
"Search warrants issued during this investigation have also been ordered sealed. Sealing these documents is necessary in order to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal cases," Pedley said in a news release.
The full probable cause statement signed Tuesday by Johnston has also been ordered to remain sealed for at least the next 60 days "and it may be extended at the discretion of the judge," Pedley said.
Pedley is declining further comment "to preserve the integrity of this major case investigation."
Kuester was taken into custody Sunday, April 28 as a "person of interest" in the murders of brothers Dean Thoreson, 76, and Gary Thoreson, 70, and Gary's wife Chloe Thoreson, 66. The bodies of the victims were discovered Sunday morning at Gary and Chloe Thoreson's home on Philippine Road north of South Wayne.
Kuester's abandoned vehicle was found Saturday, April 27 on the western edge of Green County in Cadiz Township. Investigators believe he hiked naked or half-naked through the marshy, brush-filled land and across the Pecatonica River to the property the Thoresons farmed. He was reported missing over the weekend, and his family and friends told authorities they were concerned about his mental health. Kuester had just been released on bond from the Waukesha jail Friday on an obstructing charge.
The crime was apparently at random. Kuester did not know the Thoresons, according to the Pedley. It isn't clear why Kuester, who has no apparent ties to the area, would have chosen to go there.
The ongoing investigation into the murders continues, Pedley said. Reports from detectives and Department of Criminal Investigation agents "are being compiled and interviews of citizens in our area, the Waukesha area and elsewhere are being conducted."