Catherine Cheskie appears in Winnebago County Court Feb. 18, 2025 for her sentencing for the murder of Thomas Guyette. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Catherine Cheskie was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for killing her boyfriend, but can ask for parole after 30 years.
A jury convicted Cheskie, 55, of first-degree intentional homicide for the Feb. 24, 2024, shooting of Thomas Guyette, 71, at a Chute Street residence in Menasha.
Before the sentence was issued, Cheskie declined to address the court.
Judge Daniel Bissett said the case required more than the 20 year-minimum for a parole eligibility date, but also wanted to make it reasonable so that it’s something Cheskie could attain. He also denied a defense request to stay the sentence while the case is appealed.
According to prosecutors, a man who rents a room in the basement of the Chute Street home where the victim lived heard the two arguing early Saturday morning, then heard a gunshot. The witness went upstairs to see what was going on and saw Guyette on his bed. Guyette said, “I’m shot,” and the witness called 911. Police arrived to find Guyette dead of a gunshot wound to the chest.
Cheskie denied shooting Guyette, at one point saying she was legally blind and could not accurately hit a target. She also said she did not believe he had shot himself. Tests showed gunshot residue on Cheskie’s hands, which she explained by saying that she moved the gun away from Guyette after he had been shot. However, prosecutors say her stories were inconsistent about whether the gun was in his hands or on the bed next to him.
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