A jury has found a Brown County man guilty in his wife's murder some 13 years ago. 59 year old Richard Curtis was then sentenced to 28 years to life in prison for the aggravated murder of Linda Curtis in 1996.
Linda Curtis was found shot to death in the couple's Georgetown home. Her body was found with a pillow over her head and a gunshot in the pillow but no gun was ever found at the scene. Still, police ruled her death a suicide.
But her family pushed the issue. Over the years, Linda Curtis' daughter always had suspicions her step-father was responsible for her mother's death. Family believed Linda was murdered by her husband because she was planning to leave him. Prosecutors said Richard murdered his wife for money. They say he had debts and wanted Linda's insurance policy payout.
The tears came even before the verdict was read. Linda Curtis' daughter Libby Adkinson was 15 years old when her mother was murdered. "I thought a conscious would surface. I guess you can never get inside the head of a murderer."
But there was no emotion or apologies from Curtis. Just an odd comment. He said "There is no justice in or outside the courtroom."
Aggravated murder means the jury believes Curtis planned the murder. Assistant Brown County Prosecutor Chris Van Harlingen: "There was a lot of premeditation ,some we weren't allowed to put before jury. He was still convicted and we are very pleased."
Brown County's new prosecutor, Jessica Little, gave credit to cold case detective Carl Smith. "He found new witnesses, new evidence, dusted it off and brought it home."
