DODGE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Dodge County man convicted of murdering a man in Beaver Dam and burying him in a shallow grave has been sentenced.
21-year old Nigel Schultz was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole.
Prosecutors say shortly after being released from prison for a previous felony in October of 2018, Schultz shot Bradlee Gerke 16 times in the back of the head and torso and buried him in a shallow grave in the town of Lebanon.
Schultz told deputies he killed Gerke because Gerke was going to turn him in to police.
Court documents say Schultz repeated his confession to others, including telling acquaintances on a recorded jail phone line that shooting someone 16 times “cannot be an accident.”
In October, 21-year-old Dakota Schlesner was convicted for her role in trying to conceal Gerke’s death. Prosecutors say Schultz threatened Schlesner that if she didn’t help him move and bury Gerke’s body, she and her whole family would die.
During Schultz’s sentencing, District Attorney Kurt F. Klomberg said, “Never have I encountered an offender who had such an extensive criminal record at such a young age. The defendant viewed the killing as his most significant accomplishment and bragged about it as if it was a badge of honor. I am totally convinced that he will kill again if given the opportunity. In the end I can find no redeeming value in this individual, and I believe he should never be allowed to be released from prison.”
