Man Who Abducted Jayme Closs Sentenced To Life In Prison

BARRON COUNTY, WI — Jake Patterson, the man who pleaded guilty to abducting Jayme Closs and killing her parents in October 2018 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Patterson, 21, who also held Closs, 13, captive in a remote cabin for three months,pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping in March. In Wisconsin, first-degree intentional homicide is classified as a "Felony A" which is the highest felony class under state law. Each charge comes with a maximum allowable sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"First-degree intentional homicide is the most serious crime under Wisconsin law. Mr. Patterson, you murdered two parents, parents that were trying to protect their daughter, and did so in a way that forcibly and violently entered their house and kidnapped their daughter," Judge James C. Babler said prior to reading Patterson's sentence Friday in Barron County Circuit Court. "These crimes rank as the most heinous and dangerous that I have seen either here or anywhere else in the State of Wisconsin and perhaps the United States."

As Judge Babler read his statement, declaring, "It is no doubt in my mind that you are one of the most dangerous people to ever walk the planet," Patterson sat in the courtroom shaking his head in disbelief.

At the time of his plea, Patterson said that he intended to plead guilty so the Closs family would "not have to worry about a trial."

Closs escaped from Patterson in January after 88 days in Patterson's cabin in near the small, isolated town of Gordon, which is about 60 miles from her home.

Patterson's Statements Read Aloud For The First Time

Judge Babler read some of Patterson's statements that were obtained from investigators. They were, for the first time, read aloud in the courtroom:

• "I started having bad thoughts all the time: fantasies of keeping a young girl prisoner and torturing her and totally controlling her."
• "After a while I stopped believing in god and stopped fighting my fantasies."
• "I drove around a lot, just trying to get lucky and seeing a girl alone. After awhile I knew that wouldn't work."
• "I thought of how I could get away with kidnapping a girl. My biggest problem was always witnesses."
• "I thought of a home invasion at night. I hadn't thought of whether I'd kill the parents or just tie them up."
• "Before I did this I thought of taking multiple girls, killing multiple families. I wanted to treat them differently, play mind games with them. I hated everyone but no one in particular."

"When I saw Jayme I instantly thought she would be a good target."

Related Reading

• Criminal Complaint: Read Full Narrative Of Jayme Closs Abduction
• Jayme Closs Home Burglarized As Family Attends Parent's Funeral
• Now That Jayme Closs Has Been Found, How To Help
• Jayme Closs Found Safe

Patterson 'Knew This Was The Girl'

According to the criminal complaint that was filed in Barron County, Patterson told authorities that one day on his way to work, he stopped behind a school bus on Highway 8.

As he sat in his vehicle behind the bus, Patterson admitted he watched Jayme get on the school bus. He told investigators that he had no idea who she was, nor did he know where she lived, but knew upon seeing her that "this was the girl he was going to take."

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson admitted that he never met Jayme through any social media sites, and only learned her name after she was abducted and was imprisoned in his house.

Patterson said he learned the names of Jayme's parents once their names were reported on multiple news programs and social media.

The Night Of Oct. 15

Here are the details of the night of Oct. 15 in which Closs' parents were shot and killed, and Jayme abducted and also her dramatic escape from captivity.

According to the criminal complaint, during the early morning hours of Oct. 15, Jayme told investigators she was asleep in her bedroom when her dog began to bark. She went to investigate and noticed there was someone in her driveway. She went to her parent's room and woke up her mother, Denise, and her father, James.

According to the complaint, James went to the door, only to find Patterson with a shotgun outside. As Jayme and Denise went to hide in the bathroom, Jayme told investigators she heard a gunshot. She knew her father had been killed, she told investigators.

Jayme told investigators that Patterson entered the house, broke down the bathroom door and told her mother to hang up a cellphone that she was trying to use to dial 911. Jayme told investigators that Patterson ordered Denise to put tape over Jayme's mouth. After she did, Patterson shot and killed Denise, according to the criminal complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Patterson taped Jayme's hands and ankles together and dragged her out to his car and put her in the trunk, where she stayed for about two hours as Patterson drove to his house in the small town of Gordon.

Jayme told investigators that Patterson held her prisoner in her house, forcing her to stay under a bed in his bedroom. When Patterson left the house, or when company would come over, Jayme said Patterson forced her to hide under his bed "or something bad would happen." According to the criminal complaint, Patterson would force Jayme to hide under the bed for stretches of 12 hours at a time without food, water or bathroom breaks.

According to the criminal complaint, there was one instance in which Patterson got upset with her and hit her "really hard" on her back with a rod.

Jayme's Escape

Jayme told investigators about the day of her escape. According to the criminal complaint, on January 10, Patterson left the house and told her he was going to be gone for between five and six hours. Jayme said she was forced to once again hide under the bed. Jayme was able to push some heavy bins and weights away from the bed frame so she could escape.

She put on a pair of Patterson's shoes, walked out of the house and happened upon a dog walker whom she asked for help. She told the dog walker that Patterson kidnapped her. They went to the nearest house where the resident called 911. When Patterson got home, he saw that Jayme was not under the bed. He looked briefly around the house and saw fresh footprints in the snow, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint stated that Patterson got into his car, and began driving around in an attempt to look for her. After a few minutes, he returned to his house, and was met by the police. At that time, Patterson admitted, he knew that he had been caught.