UPDATE, June 1, 2009: Wis. man pleads to kidnappings, sexual assaults
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Edward Lanphear (Photo/Journal Sentinel)
Wisconsin is home to yet another real-life horror story.
From the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune:
A 46-year-old Saratoga man pretended to be a police officer when he handcuffed and kidnapped a Grand Rapids man early Saturday morning, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
The 23-year-old man was the first of two kidnappings Edward J. Lanphear is accused of committing in a four-day span. Officials said Lanphear struck and sexually assaulted the two men, using chains and a shotgun in an attempt to keep them from escaping his residence, 10730 52nd St. S.
On Wednesday, Wood County Circuit Court Judge Greg Potter set a $1 million cash bond for Lanphear, despite defense attorney Gary Kryshak's insistence his client wasn't a flight risk.
"First and foremost, these are nothing more than allegations that we dispute formally," Kryshak said.
Lanphear is a graduate of Lincoln High School, has worked at a Wisconsin Rapids paper mill for 24 years and owns his own home, Kryshak said.
...Lanphear is accused of giving the alleged victim from Grand Rapids a ride home in his truck early Saturday morning, telling him he was an officer and then handcuffing the 23-year-old, according to court documents. When the handcuffs became loose, Lanphear struck the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.
The 23-year-old woke up in Lanphear's basement, bound by chains and unable to free himself, according to authorities.
Lanphear tied a string to the chains, with the other end attached to a shotgun pointed at the bound man. The older man told the 23-year-old he wouldn't like what would happen if he tried to get away, an investigating officer wrote in the court report. A knife was used to cut off the 23-year-old's clothing, and the floor was covered in plastic, according to the court documents.
The second alleged victim, a 21-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man who was reported missing Tuesday, passed out in his pickup truck after becoming intoxicated Monday evening at Johnny's Bar in Wisconsin Rapids. The man woke up to find himself chained in a garage. His clothing was removed, and he was hanging by chains with locks, kept captive by a man he recognized as a frequent visitor to the Wisconsin Rapids tavern, a man he knew as Eddie, according to court documents.
Lanphear struck the man with a metal pipe, cutting his face near his left eye and causing swelling above his left cheek and severe bruising, the documents said.
After escaping from the garage, the Wisconsin Rapids man went to a residence across the street and asked for help. When Wood County officers responded to the scene, they found the Grand Rapids man inside Lanphear's house.
A relative reported Tuesday that the 21-year-old man was missing, and friends and family had not seen the 23-year-old since Friday. More than 20 emergency service agencies and hundreds of volunteers conducted a three-day search for the 23-year-old, focusing on the route he might have taken to get home.
During questioning, Lanphear told an investigator he knew what he did was wrong, the documents said.
According to the court documents, Lanphear could be charged with substantial battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, impersonating a peace officer and first-degree sexual assault. Kryshak waived his client's right to have his bond reviewed in 48 hours and asked that the criminal complaint and official charges be filed by Monday.
"They better have more than a couple of statements that they can't prove," Kryshak said.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
Both men were taken to a hospital. “They were certainly shaken up. They had some bruising, but they were otherwise in good health. Both are doing well,” [Wood County Sheriff Thomas] Reichert said Wednesday.
Unbelievably creepy.
Thankfully, both men survived their ordeal with relatively minor physical injuries. I wonder about the incredible psychological injury they may have suffered.
Lanphear allegedly was running a torture chamber, housing two victims.
The 23-year-old man was chained in Lanphear's basement and the 21-year-old was bound in his garage.
Lanphear was not a stranger to the 21-year-old victim. He knew "Eddie" as a frequent patron of Johnny's Bar.
The fact that Lanphear allegedly chose to abduct someone who could identify him tells me that Lanphear may not have planned on his victim leaving his garage alive.
During questioning by authorities, Lanphear says he knew what he did was wrong. That sounds like a confession to me.
It's a horrible, horrible story.
Thank God the victims are OK, at least physically.
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UPDATE, July 11, 2008: Charges filed against Saratoga man
A 46-year-old Saratoga man officials say kidnapped and assaulted two men is facing charges with penalties that total more than 400 years in prison._________________
Edward J. Lanphear made his initial appearance Friday afternoon on two counts of kidnapping, two counts of false imprisonment, five counts of first-degree sexual assault with use of a dangerous weapon, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, two counts of substantial battery and one misdemeanor count of impersonating a peace officer.
Read the criminal complaint.
It's horrible. It's clear that some redacted portions are the most horrific parts.
5 comments:
...The fact that Lanphear allegedly chose to abduct someone who could identify him tells me that Lanphear may not have planned on his victim leaving his garage alive...
It's not written in these articles, but Lanphear had plastic sheeting on the floor of his basement where the 23-year-old was held captive. No, I don't believe he intended his victims to live when he was finished with them and had a well-thought out plan on how to contain the mess it would make when killing them. Officials are considering bringing in cadavor dogs to search his remote wooded property, as well as working with neighboring agencies regarding other missing people.
Yes, I read about the plastic sheeting on the floor.
It certainly seems possible that he had a plan to murder the men.
Because it appears that he had things set up to handle the mess, one has to wonder if he has been successful in the past in getting away with abductions/ assaults/ murders.
Who knows if Lanphear is responsible for any other abductions?
At least we know that his kidnapping and assaulting days are over.
A Couple of things here make me believe Lanphear had completed other such crimes in the past. First of all, the alleged facts indicate that he had quite the ellaborate operation and had thought this through very carefully in many respects... a) The means of getting the men; AND b)the shackles and chains used to hold both grown men; c) The shotgun contraption used to ensure that the one in the basement did not escape; AND d) The fact that he had TWO grown men at once. -I just don't believe that someone would begin with two unrelated captures at the same time if it were indeed the first time doing so. He was confident with himself and desired more.
This is a horrific story. One which makes you really question some of the people our society harbors and quite frankly is all the more reason why Wisconsin needs a conceal and carry law.
We are very fortunate that both men are physically OK.
Investigators haven't found any evidence of other crimes committed at his home.
But as you detail, he doesn't seem like a novice at this.
Some comments on different sites mention that the relative ease of escape indicates the inexperience of Lanphear. I believe it to be the opposite. He has done this so many times, he was over-confident and lax, became greedy and impulsive. This sodapop sipping predator was not an impulsive guy... SusieQ
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