Witness in Rudy case pleads guilty

By Liz Welter - Marshfield News-Herald

NEILLSVILLE -- The main witness in the Christine Rudy murder case, Heather Teschler, pleaded guilty in Clark County Circuit Court on Monday to aiding a felon and to obstructing an officer.

Teschler has agreed to cooperate and to provide information as the case proceeds against Shaun Rudy, 23, who is charged with the murder and dismemberment of his wife, Christine, 21, and unborn son.

Teschler, 18, of Thorp was sentenced on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer to 271 days in jail and 18 months probation, to be served concurrently. She also must receive an alcohol and drug assessment and treatment.

But if Teschler fulfills her sentence and cooperates with authorities, a felony charge of aiding a felon as a party to a crime will be dismissed.

Christine Rudy of Thorp was fatally shot Nov. 12, dismembered and was dropped into the Chippewa River by her husband near the Cobban Bridge in Chippewa County a day or two later, authorities claim.

Shaun Rudy has been charged with two counts of first-degree homicide for his wife and unborn child, as well as a count of dismembering a corpse.

Christine Rudy was six months pregnant at the time of her death.

Investigators pulled human remains from the Chippewa River on March 28. While a DNA confirmation still is pending through a state crime lab, a piece of jaw bone has been identified as Christine's, according to investigators.

Prior to Teschler's sentence, members of the Rudys' families addressed the court.

"How can we put into words the loss we feel in our lives?" said Melissa Cox, Christine's sister, who read a prepared statement for her family. "People ask 'How are we doing?' That is the worst question you can ask us. ... We are angry. ... We are in constant grief and disbelief."

Alluding to rumors that Shaun Rudy and Teschler had planned to murder Christine on Nov. 12, the day Rudy reported to authorities his wife was missing, Cox said that Teschler's testimony was circumspect because she was in a relationship with Shaun Rudy and knew he was planning to kill Christine.

After the hearing, Clark County District Attorney Darwin Zwieg said that agreeing to the plea bargain had required a thorough review of all of the documents with the officials involved in the investigation.

"I am confident that this decision was made correctly," said Zwieg, who added that while Teschler might have wanted Christine Rudy dead, she was not involved in the murder.

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