RUDY CHARGED WITH MURDER OF WIFE, UNBORN CHILD
Friday, March 3rd, 2006 -- 4:19 PM
After months of speculation, a Thorp man is now officially charged with the murder and dismemberment of his wife and unborn child. Calling it the most graphic case he?s worked on in nearly thirty years of prosecuting, Clark County District Attorney Darwin Zwieg charged 23-year-old Shaun Rudy Friday with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of dismembering a body.
18-year-old Heather Teschler ? who Zwieg describes as Shaun Rudy?s ?girlfriend? - is facing related charges of obstructing justice and assisting a felon destroy evidence. Teschler avoided more serious charges in return for her cooperation in the investigation, Zwieg acknowledges.
The charges stem from the November 12th shooting death of 21-year-old Christine Rudy.
"He shot Christine with a 12-guage shotgun that was stolen from Clayton County, Iowa. The body was taken to Mr. Rudy's mother's place. He dismembered the body there by cutting off the arms and legs," Zwieg alleges.
Teschler told authorities Rudy then put the extremities in ?corn bags?, which were placed with the rest of the body in a trashcan, and transported to Chippewa County where Shaun Rudy dumped the remains into the Chippewa River, Zwieg says.
The charges come a month-and-a-half after Clark County Sheriff?s Department officials named Shaun Rudy a suspect in Christine?s death.
While Christine?s body has not been found, new information has come back from the State Crime Lab in Madison, Zwieg says.
A day after their press conference, investigators found a shotgun ?slug? near Rogers Creek Road. It was in the area they had found skeletal fragments and tissue that DNA analysis determined came from Christine.
"The Crime Lab discovered DNA evidence on that slug that matched that of Christine Rudy," Zwieg says.
Other evidence listed in the criminal complaint includes:
[list][*]Fetal skeletal remains found in a burn pile at Shaun's mother?s home near Stanley[*]Admissions both Rudy and Teschler made to acquaintances
[*]Admissions that he and Teschler plotted to kill Christine, allegedly made to a to a cellmate at th Clark County Jail[/list]
The 1st-degree intentional homicide charges carry mandatory life prison sentences.
Rudy remains in Clark County Jail on a signature bond and probation hold connected to unrelated charges.
He may make a court appearance on Tuesday.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.