The man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs after killing her parents last fall is due to be sentenced at a hearing Friday, May 24.

Jake Patterson faces life in prison. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Closs' family is expected to give a statement at the sentencing.

The sentencing and statements will be streaming here live at 1:35 p.m. courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio. </s> The man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs is expected to plead guilty in Wisconsin Wednesday.

Jake Patterson, 21, is charged with kidnapping, homicide and armed burglary.

RELATED ‘I Can’t Believe I Did This,’ Jayme Closs’ Alleged Kidnapper Writes In Letter From Jail

Patterson is accused of kidnapping Jayme after killing her parents last October. Closs was able to escape after 88 days.

In a letter to a Minneapolis TV station, Patterson says he intends to plead guilty but neither his attorneys nor prosecutors have commented on Wednesday’s arraignment hearing. </s> Wisconsin Man Gets Life for Kidnapping Jayme Closs, Killing Her Parents

BARRON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin man will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents.

Twenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson was sentenced Friday in Barron County. He pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. He admitted to abducting Jayme in October and killing her parents, James and Denise Closs.

The teen was held captive in a remote cabin for 88 days before she escaped.

Patterson was sentenced to life in prison without release on each homicide count and 25 years in prison on the kidnapping count. The sentences will be served consecutively. </s> BARRON, Wis. - Jake Patterson pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and murdering her parents, a move that spares the teenager and her family from enduring a trial.

Patterson, 21, appeared in Barron County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon to be arraigned on first-degree intentional homicide, kidnapping and armed burglary charges. He is being held in the Polk County Jail on a $5 million cash bond.

In court, Patterson repeatedly answered "yes" to a range of questions from Judge James Babler about whether he understood the charges, and whether he was certain he wanted to plead guilty. He hung his head at times as he spoke.

Patterson entered his three pleas one at a time, growing more emotional with each utterance of the word "guilty." He hesitated for several seconds, sniffled and his voice broke, as he admitted to kidnapping Jayme.

Jayme's family filled four rows in the courtroom and could be seen comforting one another at times. Two of Patterson's relatives also attended, one of whom cried throughout the hearing.

Babler set sentencing for the afternoon of May 24, and revoked Patterson's bond.

'No guilt, no remorse, no empathy': Criminal profilers say Jake Patterson case stands out

'Our hearts are broken': Father of Jayme Closs' alleged abductor says he's struggling to understand what happened

The hearing adjourned after about 18 minutes. As Patterson left the courtroom, he said, "Bye, Jayme," although she did not appear to be in the courthouse Wednesday.

Patterson faces up to life in prison for each of the homicide charges and up to 40 years in prison for the kidnapping charge.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop the armed burglary charge, and to not charge Patterson with any crimes related to the time he kept Jayme in captivity at a home in Douglas County.

Patterson, who had no known connection to the Closs family, gunned down James and Denise Closs on Oct. 15 and abducted Jayme, then held the teenager in the Douglas County town of Gordon for 88 days. During her captivity, Patterson and Jayme told police, he forced her to hide under a twin bed when he had company or left the house. He also threatened also and yelled at her.

Patterson began planning Jayme's abduction after he saw her board a school bus, according to his statement to police. He visited the Closs home twice before the kidnapping and murders, and shaved his head and face to avoid leaving DNA behind. He also made modifications to his car, including replacing his plates with a stolen one.

Jayme escaped on Jan. 10 and was rescued by Patterson's neighbors. Patterson was apprehended by police a short time later.

The decision not to charge Patterson in Douglas County means details of Jayme's captivity will likely remain unknown.

Officials declined to comment following the hearing. Jayme's family was quickly ushered out of the courtroom, and Patterson's family left the building without speaking to reporters.

In a letter to a reporter from Minneapolis-based KARE-TV, which the NBC affiliate published this month, Patterson said he would plead guilty to spare Jayme and her family from a trial. He expressed regret, saying he "can't believe I did this."

"No one will believe or can even imagine how sorry I am for hurting Jayme this much," he wrote.

Jayme Closs kidnapping: Jayme Closs captured the nation’s attention. Why don’t these other missing kids?

Follow Haley BeMiller and Dough Schenider on Twitter: @haleybemiller and @PGDougSchneider </s> A Wisconsin man charged with abducting 13-year-old Jayme Closs and fatally shooting her parents pleaded guilty Wednesday, bringing some closure to a case that made national headlines as authorities searched for the kidnapped teen for months.

Jake Patterson wept through the brief court appearance, struggling to utter the word "guilty" on two counts of intentional homicide, which carry a sentence of life imprisonment, and one count of kidnapping; the remaining armed burglary charge was dismissed during the hearing.

One of Patterson's attorneys, Richard Jones, told the court that the 21-year-old had "wanted to enter a plea from the day we met him" and was adamant that "this is what he wants to do."

Officers escorted Patterson out of the courtroom Wednesday. Before leaving, he faced the gallery and said, "Bye, Jayme," according to the Star Tribune.

As The Washington Post previously reported, Patterson was arrested in January and confessed to stalking Jayme in October and to killing her parents, James and Denise, on Oct. 15. According to police documents, after kidnapping Jayme, he kept her captive in a cabin for 88 days. The teenager escaped Jan. 10. </s> BARRON, Wis. (WFRV) - The man convicted of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents is set to be sentenced in Barron County Court Friday afternoon.

Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide and one count of Kidnapping/Carrying without Consent in March.

He faces two life sentences for the homicide charges alone, but before a sentence is handed down, anyone who wishes to speak on Patterson's behalf will have the opportunity to do so, including Patterson himself.

Jayme Closs' family will also have the opportunity to read victim impact statements in court, but will also have the option of submitting those statements to the prosecutor in writing.

The sentencing hearing is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. </s> Jake Patterson, the man convicted of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole.

Patterson received two consecutive life sentences without parole for killing Jayme’s parents and the maximum of 40 years for kidnapping her.

“The rest of the public deserves liberty and justice,” Judge James Babler said during the sentencing.

Sentencing began at 1:30 p.m. at the Barron County Government Center and lasted several hours. The state asked that Patterson spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.

“Jayme should not have to spend one second of the rest of her life worrying about the defendant being free,” Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright said.

Patterson’s defense team said they understand he will spend his life behind bars but asked for the possibility of parole.

“Mr. Patterson understands, knows and has accepted … that he is going to die in prison and hasn’t asked us to argue for anything else,” one of his attorneys said.

Several family members read victim impact statements to the court and Attorney Chris Gramstrup read a statement on behalf of Jayme.

“I will always have my freedom and he will not. Jake Patterson can never take away my courage. He thought he could control me, but he couldn’t,” Jayme’s statement read. “I felt like what he did is what a coward would do. He can never take away my spirit.”

Patterson also addressed the court during his sentencing.

“I would do absolutely anything to take back what I did, I would die, absolutely anything to bring them back. I don’t care about me. I’m just so sorry,” Patterson said.

In March, Patterson pleaded guilty to killing Jayme’s parents and kidnapping her in October. </s> After vanishing for nearly three months, 13-year-old Jayme Closs was found safe and sound. Jake Thomas Patterson admitted to kidnapping her after killing her parents. Get all the facts we know about this case.

Update March 27, 2019: Jake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping on March 27, per The Daily Beast, bringing an end to a heartbreaking tragedy. Jake admitted to fatally shooting James Closs and his wife, Denise Closs, in their Barron, Wisconsin home on Oct. 15, 2018, before kidnapping their young daughter, Jayme Closs, 13. Barron County prosecutors said they will drop the burglary charge against him, and will not file charges for any crimes in Douglas County, which occurred while Jayme was in captivity.

He now faces life in prison, as he waived his right to a trial with a guilty plea. “We represent him, we work for him, and this is what he wants,” his attorney, Richard Jones, said in Barron County Court Wednesday. “[Patterson] has wanted to enter a plea since we met him.”

Original Jan. 11, 2019: Jayme Closs, 13, went missing October 2018, the same month after police discovered her parents murdered in their Barron, Wisconsin home. Nearly three months after she vanished, Jayme was found alive on Jan. 10. Shortly after she was found, the Barron County’s Sheriff’s Office said a suspect was taken into custody, according to NBC News, and on Jan. 11, the authorities released his name: Jake Thomas Patterson, 21. As the details surrounding this horrible murder and this young girl’s disappearance come to light, here are the details we know about her suspected abductor.

1. He was first held on numerous charges. Jake Thomas Patterson, of Gordon, Wisconsin, is being held in jail on two charges of first-degree intentional homicide of Jayme’s parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, according to NBC News. He was also charged with one count of abduction. Jake, according to the Carron County’s sheriff, does not have a criminal history locally or in the state of Wisconsin.

2. The authorities weren’t looking for additional suspects. During the Jan. 11 press conference, the authorities said they are not looking for any additional suspects involved in this case. “Jayme was the only target,” the authorities said during the press conference, adding that he didn’t know her parents.

3. The officer revealed Jake’s identity for the first time during the press conference. The world got its first major look at Jake when the sheriff showed his mug shot, revealing a 5’11, balding white male with glasses.

4. He allegedly kept her hidden from the public for months. “Jayme was taken against her will and escaped from a residence in which she was being held,” said Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald at a press conference, according to the New York Post. “The subject planned his actions and took many proactive steps to hide his identity from law enforcement and the general public.”

5. Jayme helped the authorities catch him. After three months, Jayme suddenly turned up at the doorstep of Peter and Kristin Kasinskas in Gordon, WI, along with one of the couple’s neighbors. Jayme reportedly approached a resident who was walking their dog and provided a description of the car she fled from, leading to Jake Thomas Patterson’s arrest.

“She kind of flung the door open and said, ‘Call 911, this is Jayme Closs!” Kristin recalled. “I knew it was her the second she walked in the door.”

We’ll continue to update this post with any new information about her alleged kidnapper. </s> BARRON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents, in a move that spares the girl held captive in a remote cabin for three months from the possible trauma of having to testify at his trial.

Jake Patterson, 21, sniffled and his voice caught as he pleaded guilty to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a count of armed burglary. Patterson faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced May 24; Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.

Patterson had said he would plead guilty in a letter sent this month to a Minneapolis TV station, saying he didn’t want the Closs family “to worry about a trial.”

Patterson admitted kidnapping Jayme after killing her parents, James and Denise Closs, on Oct. 15 at the family’s home near Barron, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis. Jayme escaped in January, after 88 days in Patterson’s cabin in near the small, isolated town of Gordon, some 60 miles (97 kilometers) from her home.

The plea, coupled with an earlier decision by prosecutors not to bring charges in the county where Jayme was held, increases the chances that the details of her time in captivity will remain private.

Patterson stoically answered “yes” and “yeah” to repeated questions from Barron County Judge James Gabler about whether he understood what he was doing. Later, as he responded “guilty,” to each count, he could be heard sniffling. He paused for several seconds after the judge asked him about the kidnapping charge before stuttering, “guilty.”

Defense attorney Richard Jones told Gabler that Patterson “wanted to enter a plea from the day we met him” and brushed off strategies presented to him, including trying to suppress his statements to investigators.

“He rejected all that and has decided this is what he wants to do,” Jones said.

Members of the Closs family and Patterson’s father and sister all left the courthouse without commenting.

According to a criminal complaint, Patterson told authorities he decided Jayme “was the girl he was going to take” after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home. He told investigators he plotted carefully, including wearing all-black clothing, putting stolen license plates on his car and taking care to leave no fingerprints on his shotgun.

Jayme told police that the night of the abduction, the family dog’s barking awoke her, and she went to wake up her parents as a car came up the driveway. While her father went to the front door, Jayme and her mother hid in the bathroom, clutching each other in the bathtub, with the shower curtain pulled shut.

Patterson shot Jayme’s father as he entered the house, then found Jayme and her mother. He told detectives he wrapped tape around Jayme’s mouth and head, taped her hands behind her back and taped her ankles together, then shot her mother in the head. He told police he dragged Jayme outside, threw her in the trunk of his car, and took her to his cabin, the complaint said.

During Jayme’s time in captivity, Patterson forced her to hide under a bed when he had friends over and penned her in with tote boxes and weights, warning that if she moved, “bad things could happen to her.” He also turned up the radio so visitors couldn’t hear her, according to the complaint.

Authorities searched for Jayme for months and collected more than 3,500 tips. On Jan. 10, Jayme escaped from the cabin while Patterson was away. She then flagged down a woman who was out walking a dog and pleaded for help. Patterson was arrested minutes later.

Patterson grew up in the cabin where he held Jayme. He wrote in his high school yearbook of plans to join the Marines after graduation, but he was kicked out barely a month after joining up. He worked just a single day at a turkey plant in 2016 before quitting; he told investigators he spotted Jayme while heading to work at a cheese factory where he already planned to quit after two days.

The day Jayme escaped, Patterson had applied online for a job at a liquor store with a resume that misrepresented his experience.

Laura Tancre, of nearby Star Prairie, said she was relieved by Patterson’s plea and “happy for the little girl.” Tancre, 57, worked at the same plant as Jayme’s parents and called them “very nice people.”

“I think he should get life for killing both parents,” she said. “I’d hate for him to get out and be able to do it again.” </s> BARRON, Wis. — The man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Wisconsin 13-year-old Jayme Closs and murdering her parents has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The judge handed down the sentence after hearing statements from the Closs family, the prosecution, the defense, Jake Patterson, and Jayme Closs herself. There was no question that Patterson would receive life in prison, but the judge had to decide Friday in Barron County court whether he would ever be eligible for parole, after hearing from the people affected by his crimes.

"There are some things that Jake Patterson can never take from me," Jayme said in a statement that was read to the court. "He can't take my freedom. He thought that he could own me but he was wrong. I was smarter. I watched his routine and I took back my freedom. I will always have my freedom and he will not."

Patterson pleaded guilty on March 27 to the murders of James and Denise Closs and the kidnapping of Jayme.

Ahead of handing down the sentence, Judge James Babler said to the families, "I wish that the justice system could make you whole again. I wish we could go back in time to make sure that James and Denise Closs were never murdered nor Ms. Closs kidnapped. But I and the system can't do that for you. At best it is my hope that today's hearing will bring you a bit of closure to this awful nightmare and perhaps some return to a sense of safety and security."

He said the overriding factor in his decision was the safety of the public. "You are the embodiment of evil," he said to Jake Patterson. "You are one of the most dangerous men to ever walk on this planet."

The judge sentenced Patterson to two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of James and Denise Closs, and the maximum of 40 years for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs, all to be served consecutively.

Five months after escaping from her 88 days in captivity, Jayme had some words for the man who kidnapped her and killed her parents.

"Last October Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me," the statement read. "It makes me the most sad that he took away my mom and my dad. I loved my mom and dad very much and they loved me very much. They did all they could to make me happy and protect me."

Jayme described how she has to have an alarm on the house now, just to go to sleep. She said Patterson took away her love for dance, school, and going out with her friends. But he didn't take everything.

"Jake Patterson can never take away my courage," she said. "He thought he could control me, but he couldn't. I feel like what he did was what a coward would do. I was brave and he was not. He can never take away my spirit."

"I will go on to do great things in my life, but he will not," Jayme's statement continued. "Jake Patterson will never have power over me."

She said she thinks Patterson needs to stay locked up "forever."

RELATED: From missing to found alive: A timeline of the Jayme Closs case

Jayme's family members spoke at the hearing as well.

"Jayme no longer has her parents, which were her whole world, and she was their whole world. She no longer has her home," said Jennifer Smith, Jayme's aunt, addressing Patterson. "She lives in fear, doesn't have a normal 13-year-old life, and that's all from what you did."

"You took so much from Jayme. You took her parents, her home, her childhood and her happiness," said Lindsey Smith, Jayme's cousin.

"Thank God, after 88 days, we got answers," said Kelly Closs Engelhardt, James Closs' sister, after describing the ordeal. She credited Jayme for those answers.

"She saved our family, she put the pieces together. And now we need to move on," she said. "We have to go to sleep at night knowing that our niece is finally safe and that nobody else can be hurt."

Mike Closs, James' brother, said that James and Denise died trying to protect Jayme.

"Because of this monster Jayme won't have her mom and dad at her dance recitals, won't have her mom and dad at her prom," he said. "My brother won't be able to walk down the aisle at her wedding day."

After the family statements, Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright gave a graphic description of Patterson's crime in court, going step by step through the murders and kidnapping. He painted a picture of Jake Patterson's character, using Patterson's responses to a letter KARE 11's Lou Raguse sent him while he was in prison. In that letter, Patterson called his reasons for doing what he did "complicated." Wright said the letter shows no signs of remorse.

"Nowhere in the defendant's answers to Mr. Raguse's questions will you find him expressing any remorse for murdering James and Denise," he said.

"Jake Patterson is a cold blooded killer," Wright said. Patterson shook his head no.

"The impact of what he did will never go away for Jayme and for the families of James and Denise, some of whom you have heard from today," Wright continued.

Wright wrapped up his argument by saying, "Jayme should not have to spend one second of the rest of her life having to worry about the defendant being free."

RELATED: 'I can’t believe I did this' | Accused Jayme Closs kidnapper writes letter from jail

Jake Patterson's attorney Charles Glynn spoke to the judge saying, "Mr. Patterson severely over reacted to his loneliness."

"Mr. Patterson knows and has accepted that he is going to die in prison," Glynn continued. "And hasn’t asked us to argue for anything else.”

Glynn said that Patterson's isolation led to his crimes, and that he has rehabilitative needs. He said Patterson saved the families the "agony" of a trial, thanks to his guilty plea.

Jake Patterson did speak briefly in court, saying tearfully, "I would do absolutely anything to take back what I did. I would die. I would do absolutely anything to bring them back. I don't care about me, I just, I'm just so sorry. That's all."

RELATED: Complaint: Patterson chose Jayme Closs at random after seeing her get on bus

Ahead of his guilty plea, Patterson said in the letter to KARE 11's Lou Raguse that he planned to plead guilty. “I can’t believe I did this,” he wrote at that time.

Patterson took a plea deal in Barron County that included an agreement that additional charges would not be filed in Douglas County, where Jayme was held. An additional charge of armed burglary was also dropped as part of the deal.

The crimes to which Patterson confessed began early the morning of Oct. 15, 2018, when deputies arrived at the Closs home in Barron, Wisconsin, to find Jayme missing and her parents fatally shot. A nationwide effort to bring Jayme home commenced over the next three months, but after 88 days in captivity, it was Jayme herself who found a way out.

On the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2019, she escaped from the cabin where Patterson was holding her, found a woman walking her dog, and asked for help. The woman took her to a nearby home and asked the owners to call 911.

Patterson was arrested shortly after, driving around the area. He told deputies at that point, “I did it,” according to the criminal complaint.

He was charged in Barron County days later. The criminal complaint states that he told investigators he chose Jayme at random after seeing her get on a school bus in Barron. "He knew that was the girl he was going to take," the complaint said.

According to the complaint, Jayme told investigators that Patterson held her at a cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin for 88 days. She was kept underneath his bed, blocked in by plastic totes and weights, and threatened that bad things would happen if she tried to get away. She described Patterson striking her with an object once when he became angry.

One day, though, on Jan. 10, Patterson told Jayme he would be gone for five or six hours. She pushed her way out from under the bed, found a pair of Patterson’s shoes, and left the house to find help.

Jayme was recently honored as a “Hometown Hero” by the Wisconsin Assembly. She also received the reward money designated for her “rescuer” from Jennie-O, where her parents had been employed.

At a news conference after the sentencing, Jayme Closs' aunt, Jennifer Smith, said: "I can tell you she has made a great deal of progress… Jayme will likely have more to say in the future."
Jake Patterson pleads guilty to the kidnapping of teenager Jayme Closs and the murder of her parents last year.