Madison, WI: For the last three years, the Wisconsin governor, Gov. Tony Evers, and his administration has been releasing some of the most dangerous felons in an accelerated early parole program. The releases consisted of over 300 murderers and attempted murderers and nearly 50 child rapists.
A journalist from Wisconsin, Jim Piwowarczyk from Wisconsin Right Now, has been tracking and covering the individuals released under this program. He has published a series of articles covering the early releases of convicts, and many are shocking.
Including the program itself.
Some of the released were initially given life sentences, but under the program, were released on a ‘discretionary basis.’
Either way, they are back on the streets.
The Recent Release
The most recent case came from Wood County, Wisconsin.
Convicted murderer Brian Moeller was issued a life sentence for the murder of his mother in 1988.
As the story goes, then teenage Moeller was on his way driving to a party. He got a flat tire on his car on the way to a party, at which point the police pulled over to render assistance.
As Moeller and the police were talking, the officer picked up the smell of alcohol. They subsequently arrested him for underage drinking and contacted his mother.
Once his mother took custody of Moeller and returned home, a heated argument ensued.
According to a column in Wisconsin Right Now, it stated:
“Moeller threw a baseball bat that struck his mother during the argument. Then he strangled ‘her with his hands until he could find no heartbeat, sometimes with the added pressure of the baseball bat on her neck.’”
It was officially reported later that the victim died of strangulation and head trauma.
Following the murder of his mother, Moeller took possession of her car and drove off towards Iowa in attempt to flee the crime scene and hide.
While on his way to Iowa, his aunt (and mother’s sister) returned to their family’s home and found his mother, lying on floor dead and immediately alerted the police.
During the investigation into the murder, authorities reported that a witness in the community stated that he was told by Moeller that he experienced a dream weeks earlier in which he smothered his mother with a pillow and killer her.
Well, he followed through with his dream.
Moeller had previous convictions for multiple burglaries but was a juvenile at the time. He was officially listed as ‘under juvenile supervision’ at the time of the murder.
Moeller later testified at his trial, and according to the Wisconsin Right Now column, it stated:
“‘I went for her neck with my hands and she said, don’t be stupid Brian, Moeller testified, according to The Reporter. He was her only child.”
He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Other high-profile cases that led to early releases include felons like Carl Beletsky.
In 1982, Carl shot and murdered his wife, Kathleen Beletsky. Worse yet, he then decapitated her with a kitchen knife and placed her head in a wood burning oven. He placed her headless body in the trunk of his car and dumped it at a cornfield and headed to a local bar.
Beletsky, now 79 was released in 2019.
Other released early due to the program are not all aging individuals who might find it physically difficult to commit murders such as that.
According to the column, it stated:
“And don’t think they’re all old. The average age of the released killers and attempted killers is 54, and they range in age from 39 to 79.”
It continued:
“Even though they’ve only been out for three years at the most, 16 of them have already re-offended or violated terms of their parole, Corrections records show, including one man accused of strangulation.”
What many correctional officials tend to overlook when deciding to release a prisoner is that their behavior behind prison walls is not a good indicator of their future behavior out in the public.
Prison environments offer stability, routine and predictability- all of which will help de-stimulate a person capable of flying off the handle and lose total control of himself, leading to a murder.
It is unclear where this program is heading and what changes are coming, if any. We simply hope no one else gets strangled to death because of it.