Man Kidnapped, Shot To Death On Rural Wisconsin Road; 3 Charged

MADISON, WI — A man was kidnapped this week in Madison, driven an hour north to rural Lewiston Township, and fatally shot, according to police.

Three Madison residents face charges in connection with the death, police said. Jesse J. Freiberg, 28, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide; and Jakenya K. Patty, 21, and Laura M. Johnson, 38, are charged with being party to a first-degree intentional homicide, according to police.

The victim, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and autopsy, was assaulted, bound and placed in his own vehicle Tuesday in the 300 block of North Brooks Street, before being taken to an area outside Portage and shot on Klappstein Road, police said. The trio facing charges then took the victim’s vehicle back to Madison, where Patty tried to run over Freiberg with it Wednesday, before missing and instead striking a home in the 400 block of South Ingersoll Street, according to Madison Chief of Police Shon Barnes, who spoke about the incident Thursday at a press conference streamed on Facebook by NBC15 Madison.

Madison police were investigating the case after the crash Wednesday, and contacted the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office about the possibility the victim could be near Portage, Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner said Thursday in a news release. After an extensive search, the man’s body was found Wednesday evening, according to Brandner.

“There is no current danger to the community as all suspects are in jail,” Brandner said in the news release. “This was a targeted crime and not a random act of violence.”

Additional charges are expected, according to Brandner.