MINNEAPOLIS _ Homicide and kidnapping charges expected Monday against the man suspected of fatally shooting Jayme Closs' parents inside their home, then grabbing the 13-year-old and holding her captive for three months until her escape.
Jake T. Patterson, 21, has an appearance scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Monday in Barron County District Court, when he will hear the charges against him in connection with the Oct. 15 deaths of James and Denise Closs and the abduction of Jayme, who sought out help along a road Thursday afternoon near Gordon, about an hour's drive north of her home near Barron. 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 charging document could spell out the specific criminal counts leveled by the District Attorney's Office and include a synopsis of what investigators say Patterson did to warrant the charges.
It's possible _ but not guaranteed _ that narrative will include what led him to the Closs home, given that Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald has said he had no previous contact with the family. The charges also could reveal a motive for the crimes and how Jayme was treated during her nearly three-month disappearance.
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 of authorities that Patterson appear in person Monday, rather than the standard closed-circuit video.
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.
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 in the early morning hours of Oct. 15. 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 fewer than two days, and there's no indication they came to know each other during that overlap nearly three years ago.
