Thorp man sentenced for murder of his wife, child

By Liz Welter - Marshfield News-Herald

NEILLSVILLE -- Given the maximum penalty possible under Wisconsin law Thursday for murdering his wife and unborn child, Shaun Rudy will spend the rest of his life in prison.

"These are the most horrific crimes," Clark County Circuit Court Judge Jon Counsell said, as he explained to a crowded courtroom his rationale for sending Rudy to prison until he dies.

Rudy, 24, of Thorp pleaded no contest in May to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of dismembering a corpse.

He fatally shot his six-month-pregnant wife, Christine Rudy, 21, cut up her body and dropped it into the Chippewa River in November, 2005.

Prior to the sentencing, Rudy, his attorney, Christine's family and Clark County District Attorney Darwin Zwieg were given the opportunity to make their final statements regarding the case.

Describing Rudy as a man who had "gone through a trauma in his own life which resulted in trauma in the lives of others," David Grace, Rudy's attorney, noted Rudy "made a horrendous mistake," and demonstrated a total lack of remorse to mask his feelings of insecurity.

While he could understand a mistake, Zwieg said, "This minimizes what occurred here. When you point a 12-gauge shotgun at someone's head, they are going to die. The blame rests squarely on his shoulders and his only. ... The defendant should be in prison until he breathes his last breath. ... This isn't someone that can be released."

Speaking for Christine's family, her sister, Sara Welch, addressed the court.

"So much has been taken from our lives," Welch said. "We will be forever haunted by how Christine and her baby, Christopher, died."

After Rudy declined to speak, Counsell noted Rudy's complete lack of remorse for his actions and Rudy's statements that he believes what he did was right, and that he would not change anything.

Rudy has also said if Wisconsin has a death penalty, he would kill a fellow inmate while in prison so he could face the death penalty.

"The dangerousness of Mr. Rudy ... . No indication of desire to change and the history of continued criminal behavior ... . The protection of the community is significant in this case," Counsell said.

As Rudy hunched in his chair at the front of the courtroom, his face masked any emotion while he listened to Counsell and glanced at people around the courtroom.

Besides the life sentences to be served consecutively, Counsell also sentenced Rudy to 18 years and six months for dismembering a corpse and another 14 years for possession of a firearm by a felon. A charge of possession of drug paraphernalia was dismissed and read into the record.

After Rudy was led away, his feet and hands shackled and wearing hand restraints, the courtroom cleared into the hallway.

Rudy's mother, Margie Nelson of Jim Falls said, "It's over and done with. Life will go on. ... Justice was done."

Nelson said that Rudy would not appeal the sentence.

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