She Offered $25K to Catch a Killer. Now, She's Charged

Cindy Schulz-Juedes offered a $25,000 reward for information on her husband's killer after he was found shot to death in their central Wisconsin home in 2006. Thirteen years later, police say the killer was herself. Schulz-Juedes, 65, was arrested Wednesday, two days after a Marathon County judge ruled there was probable cause to proceed with charges against her in the death of 58-year-old pharmacist Kenneth Juedes, reports Wisconsin Public Radio. Schulz-Juedes had called 911 on Aug. 30, 2006, claiming she was asleep in a camper outside the Hull home on 30 acres before finding her husband dead on a bed inside.

Police say he'd been shot twice in the chest with a .20-gauge shotgun, per the Wausau Daily Herald. Schulz-Juedes owned such a weapon, though she reported it missing after the killing. In court on Monday, Assistant Attorney General Richard Dufour said Schulz-Juedes gave inconsistent statements about what she was up to on the day she found her husband. Her alleged motive: Money from a life insurance policy and the sale of land. Schulz-Juedes' public defender argues the evidence is circumstantial and "a lot of doubt" remains in the case. Schulz-Juedes is to be formally charged with murder on Dec. 13. Her bond is set at $1 million. (More murder stories.)