BARRON, Wis. _ The young man accused of fatally shooting Jayme Closs' parents in the family's western Wisconsin home and abducting their 13-year-old daughter first saw the teen as she boarded her school bus one morning and "knew that was the girl he was going to take," according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.
Jake T. Patterson, 21, was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, kidnapping and armed burglary in connection with the killings and abduction in the early hours of Oct. 15 at the Closs home on the outskirts of town. Jayme remained his captive until she escaped from his home near Gordon, Wis., about an hour north of Barron, on Thursday afternoon.
The charging document says Patterson confessed to the crimes under questioning a few hours after his arrest.
He has an appearance scheduled Monday afternoon in Barron County District Court, when he will hear the charges against him in connection with the deaths of James and Denise Closs and the abduction of Jayme, who sought help along a road near Gordon.
Patterson was arrested in his vehicle shortly afterward, not far from the home where he allegedly held Jayme. Authorities say they believe he was looking for her.
The charges say Patterson also told authorities the night of his capture that as he drove to his job at a cheese factory, he stopped behind a school bus on Hwy. 8 and saw Jayme board. He didn't know who she was, nor did he know anything about her or her family.
"When he saw (Jayme), he knew that was the girl he was going to take," the criminal complaint read.
The complaint spells out many other new details immediately after Patterson's actions that night and over the course of the nearly three months that he kept Jayme in the home. She described one time during his captivity when Patterson hit her hard in the back with a hard object, but the court filing makes no note of any other type of physical assault.
The charges also don't reveal a reason that Patterson was drawn to Jayme to the point that he felt compelled to break into the family's home and shoot her parents once each in the head.
According to the charges:
Jayme told an investigator one day after her escape that her dog awoke her on the night of the killings, and she woke up her parents. Her father went to the door, while she and her mother hid in a bathroom. Jayme heard a gunshot and knew her father was dead.
Denise Closs called 911 from the bathroom, where Patterson, dressed in all black, broke down the door and told the mother to put down the phone. The mother taped Jayme's mouth as ordered by Patterson, and he then shot the woman in the head.
The teen said Patterson taped her hands and ankles together and dragged her to his car.
Patterson's attorneys, Charles Glynn and Richard Jones, issued a statement the day after his arrest calling the case "a very tragic situation."
It went on to read, "There is a substantial amount of information, interest, and emotion involved in this case. Mr. Patterson's legal team will be relying on the integrity of our judicial system to ensure that everyone's rights are protected and respected."
At a news conference Sunday night, the attorneys said they planned to request that Patterson appear in person Monday, rather than the standard closed-circuit video. However, authorities have denied that request, Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said.
They also hinted they would seek a change of venue for his trial, according to a video of the news conference shown by KMSP-TV, Channel 9.
Monday's hearing before Judge James Babler also will include a determination of what bail will be set for Patterson and when he's next expected in court.
Authorities on Sunday opened the road to Patterson's home, which was mostly hidden by trees. Several snow-covered cars sat in the driveway leading to the two-story brown and tan home with a nearby garage and shed.
After fleeing the home, Jayme approached a woman walking a dog to ask for help. The two went to the home of a neighbor, who called 911. Jayme, who looked bedraggled and malnourished, told the residents, and later police, that Patterson had hidden her in his home for the nearly three months she was missing, concealing her when anyone visited.
On Friday, Jayme was released from a Duluth hospital and returned to the Barron home of her aunt, Jennifer Smith, who has since posted photos of a smiling Jayme on the "Healing for Jayme Closs" Facebook page.
Investigators believe Patterson shot open the door of the Closs home, gunned down Denise and James Closs and then abducted Jayme. They said they found a gun in Patterson's home "consistent" with the one used in the crime, but are awaiting lab analysis to confirm that it's the same weapon. Other weapons also were found in Patterson's home.
Fitzgerald said Patterson has no criminal history in Wisconsin or the Gordon area and "was not on our radar."
Patterson does have ties to Barron, Fitzgerald said, but he did not provide details. The Jennie-O store in Barron where the Closs' were employed until their deaths did say Patterson also worked there at the time, but for less than two days, and there's no indication they came to know each other during that overlap nearly three years ago.
