February 16, 2015 at 4:31 p.m.
Complaint sheds light on 2003 cold case homicide
Complaint sheds light on 2003 cold case homicide
Shannon J. Wolf, 40, is the second person to be charged with participating in Wells' death.
His former wife, Latoya Wolf, 33, of Tomahawk, is facing an identical charge. She was charged Jan. 19 after giving several interviews to the police admitting her involvement in Wells' death.
According to the complaint filed against Shannon Wolf, Latoya told police she and Shannon killed Wells June 24, 2003 under the Davenport Street bridge. A police report attached to the complaint states Latoya has twice reenacted the crime for the police, once using a mannequin to represent Wells.
According to the report, Latoya told police Shannon lured Wells under the bridge by offering him marijuana. When he arrived, both of them hit him over the head with rocks. After he was on the ground, Latoya said they tied a plastic bag over around Wells' head until he suffocated. The two then pushed him into the Wisconsin River, she said.
Wells' body was pulled from the river behind the Trig's Riverwalk Centre on July 1, 2003. It was found several hundred yards from where Latoya has claimed it was put into the river.
The initial autopsy conducted by an assistant medical examiner in the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner's office revealed that Wells died of "probable freshwater drowning." The manner of death was ruled "undetermined."
Latoya Wolf has been interviewed about Wells death multiple times dating back to 2012. Rhinelander Police Chief Mike Steffes said the detective originally working the Wells case left the department before he could do much follow-up on the information Latoya Wolf shared.
When Detective Sergeant Joshua Chiamulera was promoted in January 2014, he took another look at the information and re-interviewed Latoya.
The police report states Shannon Wolf was interviewed twice in prison about Wells' death. He is serving a 12-year sentence at the Stanley Correctional Institution for stabbing a woman sitting in a vehicle on Sutliff Ave. back in February 2012.
In his interview with police about the Wells case, he denied knowing the deceased and claimed his ex-wife is lying, the report states. Chiamulera did note, however, that he never once denied killing Wells.
Wolf made his initial appearance Friday in Oneida County Circuit Court before Judge Michael Bloom. He was represented by public defender attorney Maggie Hogan who entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and asked for a preliminary hearing. Bloom scheduled the preliminary hearing for March 6.
Latoya Wolf has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 3.
Following the hearing, Oneida County District Attorney Michael Schiek said the Rhinelander Police Department has completed an exhaustive investigation into Wells' death since the case was reopened. Although he declined to go into detail about the facts of the case, he did say that he believes that both Wolfs are solely responsible for the murder.
"I think what we have cleared up is we have the two people in custody right now, we don't think there was anyone else involved," Schiek said. "I think they were with some other people that night, but they had absolutely nothing to do with the homicide."
Steffes said the previous detective, who left the department to accept a position with the BCI, originally received information that Wells' death may have been a homicide while investigating another case. He left the department before getting very far into his investigation, however.
"Detective Chiamulera asked me if he could reopen if he could continue to work the case," Steffes said.
The chief said the coroner has reviewed the results from the original autopsy from 2003 but the cause of death hasn't been changed.
"We haven't exhumed his body," he said.
Although they believe they have the two people responsible for Wells' death, Schiek said authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the RPD at (715) 365-5300.
"We're still at the beginning of this, at least with the charges," he said. "I think the investigation has been thorough, but the information is still coming in. If there is anyone else out there who knows something and wants to come forward, that's what we would like. But I think we have enough (information) to proceed."
Four members of Shannon Wolf's family were in court Friday for his initial appearance. After the hearing, they said they don't believe he murdered Wells and accused Latoya Wolf of changing her story.
"I don't know what happened that night, I wasn't there," said Shannon's stepmother Susan Wolf. "But in my heart I have to believe he didn't do it. Do I know that for a fact? No."
She added that she thought Wells was a "sweet person" and whoever killed him deserves to be punished.
If convicted, both Wolfs face the possibility of life in prison.
Jamie Taylor may be reached at [email protected].
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