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Judge upholds life sentences for Murdock murders

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By The Associated Press

Friday, Jan 04, 2008 - 05:36:02 pm CST

The life sentences given to the Wisconsin pair convicted of breaking into a farmhouse near Murdock and shooting two people to death in 2006 were upheld Friday by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Jessica Reid and Gregory Fester had argued the sentences were excessive. The court, in two separate rulings, said they weren’t.

“Two innocent people were callously murdered in the solitude and sanctity of their own home,” Judge John Gerrard wrote for the court in its decision on Fester.

Story Photo
Gregory Fester and Jessica Reid

Fester and Reid broke into Wayne and Sharmon Stock’s southeast Nebraska home on April 17, 2006. They shot and killed the Murdock couple as part of a burglary.

Both Reid and Fester, who are from Horicon, Wis., pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in hopes of avoiding life sentences. But they each received two consecutive life sentences earlier this year.

Fester also was sentenced to an additional 10 to 20 years on a weapons charge.

Attorneys for the couple could not be immediately reached for comment.


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deterrent wrote on January 4, 2008 6:59 pm:
" Excessive? Really? I understand that these kids are trying to cover there own backsides here, but for these criminals to call a life sentence excessive is ludacris. To kill two innocent people for a few material items is certainly excessive. The given penalty for a given crime is meant as not only justice, but as a deterrent to future would-be criminals. I know that my target audience for these comments will be completely missed by commenting on this website, but I feel the penalty was not excessive. Kill and be killed. An eye for an eye after all.... "

 BYOB wrote on January 4, 2008 7:22 pm:
" Not fair, too easy, should've got the death penalty. "

 ! wrote on January 4, 2008 8:05 pm:
" argued the sentences were excessive?!?!
They KILLED two innocent people!!! "

 Go directly to jail... wrote on January 4, 2008 9:52 pm:
" do not pass go, do not collect $200. However, the taxpayers of Nebraska will pay your court appointed attorneys substantially more than $200 for what is essentially a frivolous appeal. "

 good says wrote on January 5, 2008 6:20 am:
" Now they can stay where they belong but they still get to enjoy more of a life than the Stock's. Should have gotten a jolt or even the needle or even a firing squad or a noose. "

 tom issaquah wrote on January 5, 2008 9:39 am:
" Decisions decisions. That is what determines what happens to you . These two simply made a bad decision. Now they must pay the price. End of story. "

 not fair wrote on January 5, 2008 10:01 am:
" why give them life sentencing?? if they killed two innocent people, they should be killed as well. "

 Disbelief wrote on January 5, 2008 1:29 pm:
" Since they didn't think it was a big deal to kill these people, did they stop to enjoy themselves, maybe get a beer out of the fridge to drink on the way back to Wisconsin? I have a hard time dealing with anyone that don't think someone else's life means as much as theirs. I would also like to know why the death sentence wasn't asked for since it was multiple murders that they pleaded guilty to? Maybe the prosecutor needs to be answering that question. "

 Michael wrote on January 5, 2008 9:19 pm:
" Wayne and Sharmon were my friends. They were good people, the kind of folks you look up to.

These two pieces of filth took these good folk's lives over a couple bucks. Shot at close range with a shotgun in the head. SICK, SICK, SICK.

The Procecuter royally messed up by waiting too long to file for the death penalty in this case. On appeal, we should get the chance to UP the penalty if they get the chance to reduce it. "

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