STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A big development has taken place in a long-standing Sturgeon Bay murder investigation with an arrest in the 1975 murder of Carol Jean Pierce.
Police Captain Dan Brinkman says her husband Richard Gale Pierce was arrested at his residence in Cheboygan, Michigan and said since the murder, the investigation has gotten some new life.
“We have a different District Attorney’s office and different faces in the Attorney General’s office who have agreed to look into this with us.”
The criminal complaint alleges Richard was the last person to see Carol Jean Pierce alive, had motive and opportunity to end her life, and Brinkman says he was a suspect all along, but technology advancements helped in the investigation.
“We are seeing the culmination of 43 years of investigation.”
Investigations are continuing on Pierce’s property in Michigan and he is being charged with first-degree murder and disinterment of the dead, which will result in a sentence of life in prison if convicted.
“43 years later we are looking for the same thing that we were looking for 10 years ago.”
Brinkman said since the murder investigation started, the Police Department has undergone quite a bit of change.
“Several officers have since retired.”
Captain Brinkman mentioned it was former Sturgeon Bay police chief Michael Nordin that originally re-opened this case, and now his daughter is directly involved in bringing the family justice.
Prosecutors say Richard Pierce benefited from Carol Jean Pierce’s death with “a pension unencumbered by a wife.
“To see his daughter prosecute the man who he always believed and we always believed killed Carol Jean Pierce is pretty remarkable.”
Colleen Nordin is the Door County District Attorney and Brinkman confirmed that the case will be tried in Door County.
Mike Nordin passed away in 1999 but before that, he re-opened the case in the early 80’s before it went cold soon after.
Captain Brinkman said one investigator was recently brought back onto payroll to continue the investigation.
Investigations are continuing on Pierce’s property in Michigan.
Pierce is being charged with first-degree murder and Disinterment of Dead, which will result in a sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Captain Brinkman also passed along a reminder for those thinking about committing a criminal act.
“It may take a while, but you can see that many cases have been solved years later due to technology and DNA.”
According to the criminal complaint, the two married in 1966. Those who knew the couple said they fought quite a bit and the relationship had a history of abuse.
According to the report, police were told that Carol told people she knew that she felt Richard was going to kill her.
Evidence also shows Pierce took out a loan to buy a trencher-bulldozer and trailer in December 1975. A search of Pierce’s property in 2008 turned up no evidence of the missing woman, however. A new search of the property was begun on Thursday after Pierce was arrested.
