71-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Strangling Wife and Discarding Body in Cornfield
A 71-year-old New Richmond, Wis., man, Gordon Charles Laakso, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the tragic death of his 68-year-old wife, Mary Louise Laakso. The incident occurred on March 2, when Laakso strangled his wife after a domestic dispute and subsequently discarded her body in a cornfield.
Gordon Laakso (Courtesy of the New Richmond Police Department)
Background and Investigation
Laakso pleaded guilty to an amended charge of first-degree reckless homicide as part of a plea deal in September. The original charge was first-degree intentional homicide, and two other charges, strangulation and hiding a corpse, were dismissed. According to the criminal complaint, Laakso’s son-in-law reported the incident to the police, stating that Laakso had killed his wife by strangling her.
The police investigation revealed that Laakso had dried blood on his right hand and claimed his wife had “rambled at him for seven straight hours” and became belligerent, hitting him. However, when asked about his wife’s whereabouts, Laakso replied, “Oh, you didn’t find her?” and eventually disclosed that she was dead. A search of the home found a pair of gloves with blood on them in the basement.
Sentence and Aftermath
Laakso was sentenced to 14 years in prison, followed by six years of extended supervision, with credit given for the 278 days he spent in custody after his arrest. The prosecution had requested 25 years in prison and five years of extended supervision. Mary Laakso’s body was found in a rural area of Polk County, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death as asphyxiation by homicide.
Laakso’s wife, Mary, was a devoted mother of three and a grandmother of six, who volunteered at a local Catholic school. Her online obituary described her life as “lived in love, faith, generosity, and a deep commitment to her family and community.” Laakso, who had no prior criminal convictions, ran a Farmers Insurance agency in Superior, Wis., for over 42 years.
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