GUILTY WI - David Schuldes, 25, & Ellen Matheys, 24, murdered, Silver Cliff, July 1976 *Arrest in 2019*

[luvcats]

Wonder if there were others. "Weeks-long camping trips" sounds suspicious.

"After Rita died in 2008, Sankey said Vannieuwenhoven spent his days fishing, hunting, and going on weeks-long camping trips."

Quoted from the article found here: Arrest in 43-year-old murder case stuns Wisconsin town

 

[wary]

BS. This male victim shot in the neck from distance . This was a hit . Someone wanted them dead and my guess it was about a wedding .
Lets pin it on the old guy

Putting it plainly—he took out the man so he could rape the woman. He killed the woman so she couldn’t identify him.

It was 43 years ago—anyone who did it is going to be old now.

 

[Betty P]

Putting it plainly—he took out the man so he could rape the woman. He killed the woman so she couldn’t identify him.

It was 43 years ago—anyone who did it is going to be old now.

Agree, he was too cowardly to confront and kill a healthy young man face to face. Easier for him to do it from a distance, then attack the young woman.

As for "pinning" the crime on anyone, that would be difficult. DNA doesn't lie. How would police have gotten this old man's semen DNA and transferred it to the victim's clothing?

 

[Sincerely]

This guy reminds me a lot of the Golden State Killer. The impulse control problem when drinking, the odd stalker like characteristic of him watching the two police officers out camping, his personality change when drinking, being able to manage a stable life (married, kids) and fool so many people, his attack on the two girls nearly 20 years prior to these murders (separate incidents and different towns, but same day). I strongly believe he has sexually assaulted and killed before. I also believe he started out as a peeping Tom.

Arrest in 43-year-old murder case stuns Wisconsin town

 

[doodles1211]

Arrest in cold case murders of couple 43 years ago shocks Wisconsin town

Too bad they don't have a mug shot of Vannieuwenhoven from 40 yrs ago. It would be interesting to see if he looked much like this.

 

[jaejae]

If people are interested this appears to be a recent report about this case:

Police: Wisconsin campground killer evaded us for 42 years, but science caught up to him

 

[PastTense]

"An elderly Oconto County man was ordered Wednesday to face trial for the murder of a young couple in a county park nearly 43 years ago.

The ruling by Judge James Morrison came at the end of a 77-minute hearing in Marinette County Circuit Court attended by relatives of the victims, David Schuldes and Ellen Matheys, and of the 82-year-old defendant, Raymand Vannieuwenhoven, of Lakewood.

“It is clear to me that the state has more than met its burden of establishing probable cause that at least one felony — that is the murder of Ms. Matheys and very likely the murder of Mr. Schuldes – occurred in Marinette County and there’s probable cause to believe that Mr. Vannieuwenhoven was the person who committed those homicides,” Morrison said."
Suspect in Marinette campground killings, identified by genealogy, is bound over for trial

 

[JerseyGirl]

Vannieuwenhoven, who is being held on $1 million bond, is scheduled to be arraigned on July 1.

Suspect in Marinette campground killings, identified by genealogy, is bound over for trial

 

[Betty P]

If people are interested this appears to be a recent report about this case:

Police: Wisconsin campground killer evaded us for 42 years, but science caught up to him

Good article. They conducted a thorough investigation, but couldn't catch a break. There were many eyewitness reports seeing someone in the area, lurking in the woods who fit the description.

Hamblin recalled that two young men had reported seeing a man coming out of the woods the afternoon of the murders. They were driving by the park when they heard a shot and saw the man farther down the road, though Hamblin wasn’t sure how far away they were.

A short distance away, the men also saw a vehicle backed into a road or a trail. They believed the vehicle had Michigan plates.

Investigators also learned that two nights before the slayings, two Brown County officers might have seen the killer while they were sitting around a campfire in the same area, Hamblin said. One of the officers looked up and saw a silhouette of a person in the woods. They got up see what was going on and the person ran away.

“Later in the same evening, they saw the same individual, or what they believed to be the same individual … and that time they went to their tent to retrieve a firearm, and when they came back, he was gone, which led us to believe that somebody had been lurking in that area for a period of time before the homicide,” Hamblin said.

In another incident a few days before the murders, a man inside his pickup camper heard a noise and was rattled enough to open the door and fire a shot, Hamblin recalled. The man thought it might have been a bear.

 

[PastTense]

"After advances in DNA technology, a genealogist narrowed ‘down a suspect pool to a specific family with ties to the Green Bay, Wisconsin area.’

‘The genealogist thought the suspect could be one of their four sons or four of their grandsons,’ an amended criminal complaint filed Tuesday said. After ruling out two members of the suspected family whose DNA did not match the crime scene evidence, police focused in on 82-year-old Raymand Vanniewenhoven.

In March, officers went to his house and asked him ‘if he would do a brief survey about policing in he various townships.’ He filled out the survey and officers asked him to seal the envelope. He complied and his saliva was sent to a state crime lab where it was found to match the semen left on Matheys, court documents said."
Cops nailed 'cold case killer' by getting him to lick envelope for fake survey | Metro News

 

[Sincerely]

Good article. They conducted a thorough investigation, but couldn't catch a break. There were many eyewitness reports seeing someone in the area, lurking in the woods who fit the description.

I wonder if he was looking for that couple specifically, and if so, why? Hit? Doubtful, but it’s odd he waited possibly two days in the woods. He didn’t try to kill anyone else.

 

[Betty P]

I wonder if he was looking for that couple specifically, and if so, why? Hit? Doubtful, but it’s odd he waited possibly two days in the woods. He didn’t try to kill anyone else.

I don't know, good question. The long article linked above says that DS and EM first tried to get into another campground nearby, but it was already full. They went down the road to the next campground. It could be the killer was stalking that campground because there weren't many campers there yet. It sure sounds like he was stalking the area a lot in the days before. It could also be the young couple was just unlucky enough to be the first to pull in to set up camp. Interesting theory, though. Would he have known in advance that the couple was going camping that weekend?

Sure looks like a beautiful but remote area. Great for camping, but anyone could be hanging out in those woods.

Google Maps

It's also surprising that he attacked them in the middle of the day. LE found their bodies at 2:30 pm and it was a Friday, when campers were just coming out to set up for the weekend. The other campground 4 miles away was already full, so there must have been a lot of people coming into the area. Pretty bold move on the killer's part.

“It was obvious it was a sexually motivated murder,” said Gary Hamblin, who worked on the case as a special agent with the state Division of Criminal Investigation. “It was kind of a crime of opportunity, where two young people happen to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

No one knew the couple would be at McClintock Park, Hamblin said. There was nothing to indicate they knew their assailant.

Police: Wisconsin campground killer evaded us for 42 years, but science caught up to him

The article also notes the couple were from Green Bay, WI, which is about 85 miles south of the park. Vannieuwenhoven was from Lakewood, WI, which was only about 25 miles west of the park. Sounds like the killer was just stalking around the park, trying to find an opportunity to attack.

Google Maps

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent report about the suspect in this case:

The suspect in a 43-year-old double murder case will undergo a competency exam.

The attorney for 82-year-old Raymand Vannieuwenhoven is asking for the review.

The Lakewood man is charged with killing David Schuldes and Ellen Matheys in Marinette County. The Green Bay couple was camping at McClintock Park in July of 1976.

Prosecutors say DNA ties Vannieuwenhoven to the murders.

https://www.whby.com/2020/01/07/competency-exam-ordered-for-cold-case-suspect/

 

[dotr]

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WLUK[/URL]
Green Bay Press Gazette

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent report about the suspect in this case:

The suspect in a 43-year-old double murder case will undergo a competency exam.

The attorney for 82-year-old Raymand Vannieuwenhoven is asking for the review.

The Lakewood man is charged with killing David Schuldes and Ellen Matheys in Marinette County. The Green Bay couple was camping at McClintock Park in July of 1976.

Prosecutors say DNA ties Vannieuwenhoven to the murders.

https://www.whby.com/2020/01/07/competency-exam-ordered-for-cold-case-suspect/

Here is another report on the competency hearing this time from the New York Times:

The exam, approved by a Marinette County judge this week, will determine if Vannieuwenhoven understands the court proceedings and can assist in his defense. The results will be discussed at a hearing Feb. 21, WLUK-TV reported.

Competency Exam Ordered in 1976 Murder Case in Wisconsin

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report on the competency hearing this time from the New York Times:

The exam, approved by a Marinette County judge this week, will determine if Vannieuwenhoven understands the court proceedings and can assist in his defense. The results will be discussed at a hearing Feb. 21, WLUK-TV reported.

Competency Exam Ordered in 1976 Murder Case in Wisconsin

Here is another report about the competency test for the suspect in this case:

MARINETTE - The elderly Oconto County man accused of a double murder in Marinette County 43 years ago is undergoing an examination to determine if he’s capable of standing trial.

Judge James Morrison approved the request by Raymand Vannieuwenhoven’s lawyers for competency examination and a hearing.

“After meeting with Mr. Vannieuwenhoven and trying to discuss the upcoming hearings, the defense does not believe Mr. Vannieuwenhoven is competent to proceed,” attorney Travis Crowell said in a letter filed Dec. 23.

Vannieuwenhoven — who turns 83 next month — is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a Green Bay couple, David Schuldes and Ellen Matheys, on July 9, 1976, in a county park campground in the town of Silver Cliff.

Raymand Vanniewenhoven, suspect in 1976 slaying of Green Bay couple, undergoing competency examination

 

[Legally Bland]

Mar 19, 2020

MARINETTE – A COVID-19 case in Brown County resulted in a one-week delay in determining whether Raymand Vannieuwenhoven was fit to stand trial over double homicide in Marinette County 43 years ago.

Judge James Morrison said he learned Wednesday night that a Brown County employee with access to and duties in the courthouse tested positive for the coronavirus.

Brown County officials closed the courthouse and the district attorney's office on Thursday. The concern arose because the wife of one of Vannieuwenhoven’s defense attorneys works there.

“Therefore, I was very concerned about the health risks to Mr. Vannieuwenhoven,” Morrison said.

He added that "safety concerns absolutely trump what he we need to do today.”

At 83, Vannieuwenhoven is considered to be especially at risk of the illness, which so far has killed about 8,800 worldwide.

Defense attorneys Travis Crowell and Lee Schuchart attended the hearing by phone, while Vannieuwenhoven appeared through video conference.

The competency hearing was rescheduled for 2 p.m. March 26.

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa...VuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHnc0STXmyP0Rl80tUmu2FPdyYIhA

 

[Legally Bland]

MARINETTE – An elderly Oconto County man accused of a double homicide in Marinette County nearly 44 years ago is “likely to regain competency,” a special prosecutor told Judge James Morrison on Wednesday.

[...]

The Lakewood man pleaded not guilty last July 1.

Vannieuwenhoven, however, is “not cooperating with the evaluating panel,” Michael Williams said.

Oconto Co. man charged in cold case double murder likely to regain competency, judge told

 

[Legally Bland]

Vannieuwenhoven had apparently suffered a stroke in September, just a day after a psychologist had submitted a report concluding he was competent. Defense attorneys Travis Crowell and Lee Schuchart asked Morrison to allow a second examination to determine if that was the case.

At a hearing Oct. 12, Marinette County District Attorney DeShea Morrow told Morrison that an MRI showed Vannieuwenhoven had not had a stroke.

[...]

Morrison then asked Vannieuwenhoven, who entered the courtroom in a wheelchair pushed by member of the Sheriff's Office, if he believed he was competent for trial.

“Yes,” he replied in a rough voice from underneath a mask.

As everyone was agreement, Morrison agreed, as well.

Morrison also finalized trial dates of July 19-30, which would be approximately 27 months after Vannieuwenhoven was charged.

Raymand Vannieuwenhoven, accused in 1976 double homicide, competent

 

[JerseyGirl]

A trial is scheduled to begin July 29.

Man charged in 1976 Wisconsin killings competent for trial