Sentencing set for Wisconsin man who murdered ex-wife in Gurnee
After months of unsuccessful efforts to win a new trial, a Wisconsin man convicted last year of murdering his former wife in Gurnee will face sentencing next month.
David Brocksom, 47, will receive between 45 years to life in prison when Lake County Judge George Strickland sentences him Nov. 7 for the September 2015 slaying of Beata Brocksom in her home.
A Lake County jury deliberated only 30 minutes last November before finding the Kenosha man guilty of first-degree murder and home invasion stemming from the deadly shooting.
The murder occurred in the middle of a trip David Brocksom took his two children to a resort in the Wisconsin Dells, according to trial testimony. Authorities said Brocksom left the resort in the middle of the night and drove to Beata Brocksom's home. After arriving at about 4 a.m., authorities said, David Brocksom sneaked into the residence planning to fatally shoot his ex-wife and make it appear a suicide.
Beata Brocksom woke up, however, and struggled with her former husband. She was shot in the neck during the struggle and escaped the home through a window, but was found dead several hours later in bushes on her property.
David Brocksom's attorneys argued he acted in self-defense, but jurors quickly rejected that claim and found him guilty.
Strickland on Thursday rejected Brocksom's request he reconsider his earlier decision not to award him a new trial.
Brocksom is being held in the Lake County jail without bail.