Inset: Jacob Sanders (Mauston Police Department). Background: The Willows Motel in Mauston, Wisconsin, where Sanders allegedly killed his father (Google Maps).
A man in Wisconsin, driven by intense emotions of frustration and resentment towards his father, allegedly stabbed the 73-year-old multiple times before taking off with his father’s vintage car, according to police reports.
Jacob Sanders, 34, faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide following the death of his father, Michael Sanders, in Mauston, located roughly 75 miles from Madison. The Vigo County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana had alerted the Juneau County Communications Center about concerns for Michael Sanders’ safety around 4:15 p.m. on January 21, as detailed in a Mauston Police Department release.
During a traffic stop, deputies from Vigo County detained Jacob Sanders for driving without a license while he was in possession of his father’s 1989 Chevrolet Caprice. A probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime revealed blood on his hands, despite his insistence that he had his father’s permission to use the car. Attempts to contact Michael Sanders were unsuccessful. Jacob claimed he was en route to Tennessee to pay respects at his grandmother’s grave.
Upon visiting the Willows Motel, where Michael Sanders resided, Mauston police discovered him deceased in his room with numerous stab wounds. The suspect lived adjacent to his father’s room, and a search unearthed a blood-stained Karambit-style knife with a curved blade.
Investigators interviewed the victim’s daughter, who suggested that her brother was likely responsible, citing a strained relationship with their father. Police had previously been called to the motel the day before the incident, as Michael Sanders had requested his son’s removal from the premises. Jacob Sanders reportedly admitted to becoming agitated when his father pointed at him, describing it as a “trigger.”
“It was a trigger,” he allegedly told an officer.
The suspect “expressed extreme frustration, hatred and anger” toward his father, cops wrote.
Jacob Sanders also was the sole beneficiary of his father’s life insurance policy, something the family was trying to change, cops wrote.
An autopsy determined Michael Sanders suffered 26 stab wounds to his body, some of which were defensive.
“[The victim’s] left index finger (pointer) is nearly severed off due to a sharp force injury, as well as his left thumb,” the affidavit said. His ear was also nearly severed from his body, the affidavit also noted.
The suspect remains in custody in Indiana, pending extradition back to Wisconsin.
