Judge temporarily suspends case in developer’s slaying

Jack Zemlicka, [email protected]//June 2, 2011//

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A Waukesha County judge on Thursday suspended the murder case against 17-year-old Richard Wilson, on the grounds that the defendant is unable to understand the charges against him.

Wilson is charged with killing his grandfather, Pewaukee developer Ron Siepmann, on May 8 at Siepmann’s town of Merton home.

A confidential competency report briefly discussed Thursday in court revealed that the evaluating doctor, Dr. Deborah Collins, recommended medical treatment for Wilson, who previously was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to the criminal complaint.

Circuit Court Judge Bill Domina and attorneys in the case agreed with the findings, and Wilson likely will be sent to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison for up to one year.

According to the criminal complaint, Wilson’s mother, Martha Wilson, said her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia in November, but the defendant had not been taking prescribed medication at the time of the murder.

Domina said the competency report indicated that Wilson was not “faking” his condition and the defendant was “distracted” and “impermeable to rational information” during the evaluation.

“The information in the report indicated that Mr. Wilson has an active psychiatric condition,” the judge said.

The report suggested that Wilson “is more likely to become competent” with proper treatment, Domina said, at which point the murder case would proceed.

As a part of his order, Domina said progress reports would be submitted every 90 days by the Department of Health Services.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said the case could proceed sooner rather than later.

Wilson’s attorney, Jennifer Dorow, declined comment.