Former Dane County sheriff’s deputy Andrew Steele had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges of killing his wife and sister-in-law, but on March 27 Steele appeared in court to change his plea to guilty.
Steele is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the Aug. 22, 2014, shooting of his wife, 39-year-old Ashlee Steele, and her 38-year-old sister, Kacee Tollefsbol of Lake Elmo.
Due to his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Steele’s defense is planning to argue that he was not legally responsible for the deaths.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports the change of plea shifts the focus of Steele’s April 13 trial from determining his guilt to whether or not he was responsible for his actions. Steele claims that since the diagnosis of ALS in June 2014, the disease has affected his brain and his ability to obey the law.
If Steele is found legally responsible for the shooting deaths of his wife and sister-in-law, he will be sentenced to life in prison. If the jury does not find him legally responsible, Steele will be committed to a facility in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Contact Alicia Lebens at alicia.lebens@ecm-inc.com