Charles A. Avey

UPDATE, June 4, 2010: Judge derides Avey 'mercy killing' contention, imposes life term.
_________________


Charles A. Avey is a monster.

He murdered his stepson, 14-year-old Cody Reetz, by strangling him with a necktie.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Charles A. Avey used a necktie Sunday to strangle his stepson, 14-year-old Cody Reetz of Grafton, as payback to the boy's mother for reporting to police that he had beaten her with a hammer, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.

Avey, 37, was charged Tuesday with first-degree intentional homicide in Washington County Circuit Court.

...The criminal complaint says Avey used a second necktie to tie the boy's neck to an armrest inside an Oldsmobile minivan, then hid Reetz's body under clothing and a backpack. He killed the boy inside the minivan while it was parked at a Germantown Wal-Mart, the complaint says, and left the lot with a friend shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday.

Avey had called the friend from a Jackson gas station about 30 minutes before killing the boy to request a ride from the Germantown parking lot, the complaint says.

The friend arrived at Wal-Mart about 4:20 p.m. Sunday, and Avey got into her car several minutes later, the complaint says. He asked to be driven to the van so that he could make sure it was locked.

Avey rode to Grafton with the friend and observed police waiting for him outside his apartment. He then called his ex-wife, Krista Avey, and asked her to pick him up at a Piggly Wiggly in Jackson because his van had run out of gas.

She arrived with the three children they had together prior to their divorce, but Avey asked her to take them to her home because he wanted to talk.

Avey later requested to be driven to a West Bend cemetery to view his mother's grave. Once there, Avey confessed to his ex-wife that he had killed Reetz, the complaint says.

He then asked her to drive him to the Washington County Sheriff's Department, where he turned himself in about 7:25 p.m. Sunday.

...Nearly five hours before the boy's body was found in the minivan Sunday, Avey's current wife, Trista Avey, went to Grafton police with a relative and reported that her husband repeatedly struck her with a hammer Nov. 8.

The criminal complaint says the two were arguing that day in their Grafton apartment when Avey began strangling her with his hands and pounded her head, arms and back with a hammer.

The woman's delay of one week in reporting the attack shows there was a "climate of intimidation in the household," Martens said Tuesday.

After reporting the crime Sunday, Trista Avey told officers that her son, Reetz - an eighth grader at Grafton's John Long Middle School - was with the suspect that afternoon.

Grafton police then issued a bulletin to other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for them.

This is absolutely horrific. So many "what ifs" that could have changed everything.

Clearly, Avey was a violent man, but Cody must have felt comfortable enough to be alone with him. And his mother allowed it. There must have been some degree of trust.

Certainly, as he got into the minivan with Avey, Cody didn't suspect that his stepdad was about to kill him.

...Avey also is charged with five counts of identity theft.

Those charges are based on allegations he opened credit card accounts under the name of his wife's former husband, who is the boy's biological father.

In a November 2008 to January 2009 holiday shopping spree, Avey charged more than $22,130 worth of merchandise to the accounts, according to a separate criminal complaint. His initial court appearance on the identity theft charges was Nov. 2, less than a week before he is accused of beating his wife.

Read the criminal complaint.

Several notes written by Avey were found in his van. In one, Avey blames his sister-in-law and mother-in-law for the murder.

FIRST NOTE: Special Note, This boy met Angels all too early! Reason: Tonya Zander: my sister in law. Laura King my mother in law and the Princess Gina Schfoeder my sister in law you guys did this to your sister! Are you all happy now?

A second note was to Avey's ex-wife.

SECOND NOTE: Krista, Please take good care of my boys I will miss them more than you will ever know. Please remind them that I love them. Love Chuck

The third note was to his sons.

THIRD NOTE: To CJ, Chandler + Mouse To my 3 great sons, Daddy will always love you. Be good to your mom and grandmother. I love you boys with all my heart This wouldn't have happened if Trista wouldn't have ran away from me. All my love, Daddy

These notes were found near Cody's body.

How could "Daddy" Avey express his love for his sons after he had just killed his 14-year-old stepson? It's so twisted.

Avey has victimized so many people, including people he claims to love.

For the rest of their lives, Avey's sons -- CJ, Chandler, and Mouse -- will have to drag around the fact that their dad murdered a 14-year-old boy.

How would he feel if a man strangled one of his sons in a Wal-Mart parking lot?

Taking out his anger on an innocent boy, taking his life?

Avey committed the most heinous crime.

It's a mystery how an evil man with such a blackened heart could be capable of expressing any love at all.