Madison, Wisconsin (AP) — Wisconsin Parole Commissioner is guilty of Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Friday after being criticized by a rival Republican who is about to leave his seat in November. I agreed to revoke the parole of the murderer who was sentenced.
Evers sent a letter to Commission Chairman John Tate on Friday asking him to reconsider the parole of 54-year-old Douglas Barsewitz. He was to be released from prison on Tuesday after serving less than 25 years in prison for 80 years in the 1997 stab of his wife Johanna Barsewitz. Evers does not have the power to revoke the prisoner’s parole on his own.
Evers met with Johanna Barsewitz’s family at the Capitol before sending the letter. The governor wrote that her family did not have the opportunity to fully respond to the move.
“I disagree with this decision. Before this decision was made, I have considerable concern about whether Johanna’s family was given ample opportunity to express their memories, perspectives and concerns. “I am,” writes Evers.
Evers appointed Tate said in an email to the Associated Press and Corrections Bureau that he understood the governor’s concerns about the victim’s lack of opinion and had revoked Douglas Barsewitz’s parole.
At the beginning of the week, Tate Racine Journal Times Balsewicz’s parole is very unlikely to be revoked at this point unless he does something to justify it. Racine City Council Chairman Tate said revoking Barsevic’s parole is likely to lead to a proceeding in which the state loses. Tate didn’t immediately reply to the email from AP on Friday evening.
Balsewicz’s lawyer was not listed in the online court records. They showed that he represented himself while seeking a refund for his DNA testing surcharge in 2010.
“What a joke, isn’t it?” Johanna’s sister, Kim Cornils, said Tate had agreed to cancel Douglas Barsewitz’s parole when AP told her on the phone. “Thank you very much. Thank you very much. That’s good.”
Cornils was one of Johanna’s relatives who met Evers at the Capitol earlier that day. She said in an interview shortly after the meeting that her family had not received official notice from the State Department that they would be released on parole until Thursday. She said she warned Evers that the November elections were coming.
“I said more or less you would be held liable for this. Unless you make changes, it wouldn’t be good,” he said.
Johanna was 23 when she was stabbed more than 40 times at her home in West Alice. Her husband was sentenced to 80 years in prison for a judicial transaction.
Douglas Balsewicz was subject to parole in 2017 and was rejected. The Wisconsin Parole Commission said in a statement that he had come to the panel for the fifth review on April 14.
Republican governor candidates Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson and Tim Mitchells have all criticized parole. Nicholson and Creefish asked Evers to fire Tate.
Republican Speaker Paul Farrow of Wisconsin accused Evers of paying more attention to criminals than victims.
“Considering what Tony Evers would ultimately do right should not have taken widespread public anger (over Barole’s parole),” Farrow said.