[SD] Another try for slain Pam Huber's justice. Former police chief to be retried for his wife's murder May 5th

Former Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber is set to be retried on May 5th, 2011 for the murder of his wife Pam. His first-degree murder conviction was overturned by th South Dakota Supreme Court in 2010 because they agreed he wasn't allowed to fully present his it-was-an-accident defense.

PREVIOUS POSTS HERE

YOUTUBE VIDEOS HERE.

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IN HONOR OF PAM HUBER

2007: : [SD] Ex Chief Huber told daughter what to say after fatally shooting Pam

EXCERPTS FROM A COUPLE OF ARTICLES DURING THE 1ST TRIAL THAT GIVE CLUE TO WHAT KIND OF HELL PAM LIVED IN. MANY KNEW THAT SHE WAS ABUSED. SHE WORE THE BLACK EYES AND BRUIES. SHE ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO GIVE HER HUSBAND AWAY TO HIS LOVERS. SHE TRIED TO SECURE CARE FOR HER DAUGHTERS IN CASE ANYTHNG HAPPENED TO HER.

FAMILY, FRIENDS TESTIFY ABOUT TROUBLED MARRIAGE

Capital Journal

By Rebecca Bentz

Monday, Dec 08, 2008

[Excerpts] Through their questioning of Pam Huber’s family and friends Friday, the prosecution in the Ken Huber trial wove a tale of a woman who became withdrawn and quieter than normal throughout the years of her marriage to the defendant. Shackled by the controlling nature of her abusive husband, witnesses said, she rarely visited her sisters or friends in Highmore in the months before October 2007, when she was shot in the head by her husband. Ken Huber, who faces the charge of first-degree murder and an alternate count of first-degree manslaughter, said the shooting accidentally occurred when he was moving a gun. “You could watch her become a quiet, shutdown person,” said Nadine Stephenson of her youngest sister’s demeanor after she married Ken Huber. Stephenson said her sister lived “in constant fear” that Ken Huber would take the couple’s two children and move away. Ken Huber would then tell Pam Huber, “But you would never be able to do the same, because I have connections and I would find you,” Stephenson testified. Stephenson and other witnesses testified they had seen Pam Huber with bruises and black eyes on several occasions in the later years of the woman’s life. Stephenson said she had seen four black eyes. Pam Huber would say she ran into a door, or that a box had hit her in the eye, Stephenson said. But when she asked Pam Huber about the fourth black eye, her sister said Ken Huber had gotten angry and struck her. “He just got really mad and hit me,” Stephenson said her sister reported. At one time, six or seven years ago, Pam Huber asked her sister, “If anything should ever happen to me, would you be willing to take care of my girls,” Stephenson said. Stephenson and her husband now care for the Hubers’ two children ... [Full article here]

E-MAILS IN TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

Capital Journal Newspape

Rebecca Cruse

Dec 10, 2008

[Excerpts] Throughout a series of e-mails among an odd love triangle, it became increasingly obvious that Pam Huber was a woman desperate to get her husband out of her life. In court Tuesday, the prosecution in the Ken Huber trial presented dozens of e-mails and instant message chats between Ken Huber and his former lover, Cindy Erwin, as well as Pam Huber and the woman... The earliest correspondence showed Pam Huber was originally hurt by the affair, but at some point near the beginning of the approximately six-month-long relationship, it sounded as though Pam Huber had accepted her husband’s infidelity and was actually encouraging the relationship’s continuance. According to Pam Huber’s e-mails, when her husband was involved with the physician’s assistant who also lived in Highmore, he was truly happy and she did not suffer as much abuse. The wife of the former Highmore police chief, Pam Huber, confided in Erwin about fights the couple had, including an incident during which she accused her husband of throwing a full water bottle at her breast “full force” and another in which he head-butted her in the nose. She told the woman she was not upset about the affair, but she wanted her husband to be happy. However, Pam Huber’s e-mails changed in tone after Erwin decided to break off the affair and reconcile with her own husband. Pam Huber told Erwin that she hated her, that she had no right to make the choice to try to save her marriage and that she couldn’t toy with Ken’s emotions that way... In another message, sent Dec. 26, 2006, Pam Huber referred to her husband as her “Christmas gift” to Erwin, writing that Ken Huber “adores” Erwin and would do anything for her. In several e-mails written as long as two years after the affair with Erwin had ended, Pam Huber pleaded with the woman to contact Ken Huber because he was struggling with prescription drug abuse, alcohol abuse and depression over the loss of the relationship and his job with the Miller police department... [Full article here]

HUBER’S FORMER LOVER TESTIFIES

Capital Journal Newspaper

Rebecca Cruse

Dec 11, 2008

[Excerpts] Testimony from the lover of a former police chief on trial for the murder of his wife took up most of the morning in Stanley County court Wednesday. Jennifer Lowrie, the Hyde County state’s attorney, told the court her account of Ken and Pam Huber’s marriage, what happened the day of the shooting, what happened right after the shooting and that she is still in love with the accused... As Lowrie described, she became a close friend of both Pam and Ken after first interacting with them professionally. She and Pam Huber were also involved in some community organizations together... Both Ken and Pam Huber had talked to Lowrie about some trouble in their marriage, she said... During a different conversation, Ken Huber apparently told Lowrie about his wife, “I didn’t have to get very physical with her. I could just get into her head.” Lowrie said Ken blatantly told Pam one night about their affair as the three of them were in the couples’ master bedroom. Pam Huber had “little or no reaction,” according to Lowrie, and when Lowrie asked Pam Huber if she should leave, the answer was no. She said she was also invited to dinner the following evening at the Huber home... [Full article here]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder south dakota state politics brass accident miller police]

[SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber shot in head - No arrest yet

(Note: In the past - at least - 8 years Ken Huber has only spent 1 month NOT being a police chief, so this "former chief" stuff means nothing. Word play at a serious time.)
...PAM HUBER REMAINS UNCONSCIOUS AND ON LIFE SUPPORT... "THE PROGNOSIS IS NOT GOOD. SHE MAY SURVIVE, BUT IT'S UNLIKELY SHE WILL RECOVER CONSCIOUSNESS"...

News from Oct 29 - Nov 1:

Highmore Shooting
KELOLAND TV, SD
10/29/2007
[Excerpts] A man who served as police chief in two central South Dakota towns is now at the center of a shooting investigation.... The attorney general's office says Huber called 911 late Sunday night from the couple's home in Highmore but the AG's office isn't releasing any other details at this point. HUBER IS NOT IN CUSTODY AT THIS TIME. PAM HUBER IS IN A SIOUX FALLS HOSPITAL TONIGHT AND IS LISTED IN CRITICAL CONDITION. She's Highmore's city finance officer and also runs a small embroidery business in town... As for Ken Huber. He had worked as Highmore's Police Chief for nearly ten years. This summer he took a leave of absence to go work in Miller to help that police department out. But in August, the Highmore City Council asked Huber to make a decision of where he wanted to work, Highmore or Miller. He chose Miller. But city officials told KELOLAND News Huber only worked there for a few months before resigning in October.

Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber
Protection Order: Former Police Chief Shot Wife In Head
KELOLAND TV
Don Jorgensen djorgensen@keloland.com
10/30/2007
[Excerpts] An 11-year-old girl may have witnessed what happened in the moments after her mother was shot in the head. Former Highmore Police Chief KEN HUBER HAS NOT BEEN ARRESTED but according to a protection order filed in Minnehaha County, he is the only suspect in his wife's shooting... PAM HUBER REMAINS ON LIFE-SUPPORT in the Intensive Care Unit... SHE HAS A BULLET STILL LODGED IN HER BRAIN AND SHE IS NOT EXPECTED TO SURVIVE. Her family is by her bedside, but they are also trying to protect her from the man they believe fired the shot... Huber family attorney Matt Theophilus says, "He approached her in bed and shot her one time through the forehead, daughter unfortunately awoke to the sound of the gun shot and saw her mother terribly injured and bleeding and saw her father leaving the room with a gun in his hand." Matt Theophilus is the attorney representing the Huber's 11 and 12 year old daughters, and Pam Huber's son. The three have filed a protection order against Ken Huber because he has not been arrested and they do not want him to harm them or their mother. Theophilus says, "Their concern is what will he do in the future"... The protection order says Huber has physically and emotionally abused Pam Huber for at least 10 years, but she never reported it. "She has never felt able to report this for fear of reprecussions given his positions as chief of police." The family says they've seen a change in Ken Huber since he left his jobs as police chief in both Highmore and Miller. Theophilus says, "He was really suffering from some depression and possible abuse of medications and using that with alcohol as a result of his loss of jobs and the prestige of being chief of police." Theopholis also says Ken Huber is the one who called 911 after the shooting and actually performed first aid on Pam Huber before authorities got to the scene... Ken Huber has been told not to leave the area.

Wife's family accuses ex-chief in her shooting
Argus Leader
By Matthew Gruchow
October 31, 2007
[Excerpts] ...Ken Huber shot her with a Glock .44-caliber pistol while she was in bed with one of her daughters. The order goes on to state that Huber is on life-support and is "not expected to survive... (The) bullet is still lodged in her brain," according to court documents... The state attorney general's office has said it will neither confirm nor deny that Ken Huber is a suspect in the shooting of his wife. But the protection order states that his arrest is "likely imminent upon completion of DCI processing of crime scene"... spokeswoman for the attorney general, said investigators continue to collect evidence at the Hubers' home and other places in the town. "They are not done taking the things they need to get," Rabern said.... The town's current police chief, Ray Kusser, also has refused to answer questions about the shooting. Calls and e-mails sent to the Hyde County sheriff's office seeking comment were not returned... Besides working for the city, Pamela Huber owns an embroidery business in town, said Highmore Mayor Vikki Day... Huber has been with the town's government for more than 25 years, Day said. "She's a very big part of the community," she said... Ken Huber was the Highmore police chief from December 1999 until June. He was the police chief in Miller from June to Sept. 28...

Conflict has state in charge of case
Argus Leader
By Matthew Gruchow
November 1, 2007Publish Post
[Excerpts] ...Attorney General Larry Long confirmed that Hyde County State's Attorney Jennifer Lowrie will not be handling the case because of a conflict of interest but declined to discuss the nature of that conflict... Pam Huber remains unconscious and on life support at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, he said. "The prognosis is not good. She may survive, but it's unlikely she will recover consciousness," Theophilus said. "They don't know if she's going to die now, or if she's going to survive"...

[SD] EX-POLICE CHIEF HUBER GETS LIFE FOR KILLING WIFE PAM

Former Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber was sentenced to a mandatory life prison term without possibility of parole for murdering his wife...

All previous posts on Pam Huber's murder here

Huber Sentenced To Life In Prison
KELOLAND TV, SD
Dec 19, 2008
Former Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber was sentenced to a mandatory life prison term without possibility of parole for murdering his wife. Huber made no statement when given the opportunity at Friday's sentencing hearing. A Stanley County jury deliberated only about two hours on Wednesday before finding the 42-year-old Huber guilty of first-degree murder. Pam Huber was shot once in the forehead in October 2007 as she lay next to one of her daughters on a bed in the family's home in Highmore. She died later in a Sioux Falls hospital. Ken Huber claimed the shooting was accidental as he moved his pistol between a bedroom dresser and a gun safe in a hallway just outside the bedroom.

EX-POLICE CHIEF GUILTY OF MURDER
Argus Leader
December 18, 2008

FORT PIERRE - Jurors convicted a former Highmore police chief of murder Wednesday for shooting his wife last year as their daughter lay in bed next to her, rejecting his claim that it was an accident.

The verdict pleased the victim's family and brought relief to Highmore residents who said the crime created a distressing stigma for the city of 850 in central South Dakota.

"It's been an ugly chapter. It's been a long year, and I think we're glad the trial is over so everyone can move on," said Vikki Day, mayor in Highmore the past four years.
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A jury of seven women and five men in Fort Pierre found Ken Huber, 42, guilty of first-degree murder for the Oct. 28, 2007, slaying of Pam Huber, 46.

She was shot once in the forehead and died at a Sioux Falls hospital.

Witnesses said the couple had a rocky marriage. They said he was abusive and was having an affair with the county prosecutor at the time, after cheating at least once before.

Huber will be sentenced Friday to a mandatory life prison sentence without the chance of parole.

His wife was a lifelong resident of Highmore and served as city finance officer. She succeeded her father in that position when he died. She also had a small embroidery business and was involved in many activities.

"When Pam was shot, the town was shocked," Day said.

Day was in court in Fort Pierre, about 50 miles from Highmore.

"I was listening to closing arguments. I disagreed with the defense. We're not an angry town out to get Ken Huber," she said.

Todd Yeaton, a Highmore City Council member, said the quick verdict was fortunate.

"It's over. That's the biggest thing. There's a collective sigh of relief," he said.

Yeaton said the couple's two daughters are living in town with Pam Huber's sister.

Pam Huber's sisters and other relatives hugged and cried after the verdict was read, but they declined to comment.

Assistant Attorney General Robert Mayer said prosecutors were pleased.

"We're just delighted in the result. We're just delighted for Pam. We're just delighted for Pam's family," Mayer said.

He and Assistant Attorney General Patricia DeVaney talked after the verdict with Pam Huber's relatives. "They're very pleased for Pam," Mayer said.

Defense lawyer Mike Butler also declined to comment after the verdict.

Jurors could have found Huber guilty of a lesser charge of murder or manslaughter but opted to convict him of premeditated murder.

Huber told investigators his Glock .40-caliber pistol accidentally fired and struck his wife in the head in their Highmore home.

DeVaney said there is no reasonable chance it was an accident, given Huber's expertise with firearms.

"You know in the pit of your stomach what happened here," she told the jury Wednesday during closing arguments.

DeVaney said Huber was afraid of losing contact with his daughters if the couple divorced.

Butler urged the jury to resist convicting Huber simply because the state introduced evidence of a troubled marriage and possible abuse.

Butler said it made no sense that Huber would shoot his wife when she was on a bed next to one of his daughters. That daughter, Stephanie, 12, testified she and her mother were watching television, and she was awakened by a gunshot.

Evidence was clear throughout the trial that Huber loves his two daughters, Butler said.

"You would have to think Ken Huber decided to execute Stephanie's mother right in front of her eyes, in order to return a guilty verdict," Butler said during closing arguments.

Another defense lawyer, Clint Sargent, said some of the state's scientific evidence raised doubt about whether the shooting could have been intentional. He said handguns such as Huber's sometimes are fired by accident.

The defense called no witnesses after the prosecution rested its case Tuesday.

[POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED PERPETRATED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MURDER SENTENCED]

[SD] Ex-chief Huber pleads not-guilty. Community focuses on Pam's kids.

A benefit auction for the children of Pam Huber
will be held January 13, 2008 at the Hyde County Memorial Auditorium. A soup/sandwich lunch will held from 11 to 1 O'clock. The benefit auction will begin at 1:30. Anyone who would like to contribute to the auction or to the benefit fund for the Huber children may contact maryluze@venturecomm.net.

Huber Pleads Not Guilty
Former Highmore and Miller police chief Ken Huber plead not guilty Monday.
By Stacy Steinhagen
KDLT-TV
Nov. 26
Huber faces murder and manslaughter charges in the death of his wife Pamela Huber. An arrest warrant says Huber shot his wife in the forehead with a pistol in their home on October 28th. She died five days later. Now the residents of Highmore are taking it upon themselves to make sure the family Pamela left behind is taken care of. Pamela Huber took over as Highmore's finance officer in 1984 after her father, who had held the position, died. Community members say she will remain a part of the fabric of Highmore for a long time. Highmore Mayor Vikki Day says, "Oh, my goodness, we all bought shirts from her, sweatshirts, aprons." Day proudly showed off Pam's handiwork from her embroidery business. Day says Pam was involved in many activities including Girl Scouts, Ducks Unlimited, and Junior Shooters, and Pam would have still penciled in planning a benefit like the one the town's planning for her children. "She'd be the first one. She always was," Day says. In the weeks since her death, Ken Huber has appeared in court twice. Now he's proclaimed his innocence beyond his statements made public in court documents calling the shooting an accident... The grand jury's indictment lists the 13 people who testified before them, including the Hubers' daughters and Jennifer Lowrie, Hyde County State's Attorney, who admitted in court papers having an affair with Ken Huber and arriving first on the scene the night of the shooting. What the witnesses said, however, is sealed for now. Huber's trial starts March 31st. Until then the community has an important date of their own on the calendar: January 13th, a benefit auction for Pamela's children. Day says, "I think that's the reason the community is doing so well. They're focusing on helping Pamela's children and moving on"...

Highmore man pleads not guilty to murder
www.rapidcityjournal.com
By Chet Brokaw
November 26, 2007
...Huber is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. At an earlier hearing, Anderson refused to reduce the bond after saying Huber was a risk to flee because both charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison. In a separate civil proceeding, members of Pamela Huber's family got a protection order preventing Huber from having any contact with his two daughters, but that protection order was set to expire, Mayer said. To replace it, Judge Anderson prohibited Huber from having any contact with his daughters unless it is approved by his defense lawyer, the lawyer representing Pamela Huber's family and mental health counselors working with the two girls, Mayer said. The attorney general's office is handling the prosecution because Hyde County State's Attorney Jennifer Lowrie has a conflict of interest. An affidavit filed by a law officer said Lowrie acknowledged she had been having an affair with Huber. When Huber was arrested, a state investigator's affidavit said it was almost impossible the gun fired accidentally because the Glock handgun had three safeties, Huber had received extensive training in gun safety, and he was a firearms instructor and hunting safety instructor. The investigator also said if Ken and Pamela Huber had divorced, he stood to lose much property in a divorce settlement and might have been required to pay child support.

[SD] Motives of Ex-Chief Huber killing wife Pam begin to emerge

...The Hubers had discussed divorce, and Ken Huber had been having a romantic affair with Jennifer Lowrie, Hyde County's acting state's attorney...

Ex-police chief was investigated before wife slain
Probe examined misuse of property
Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, SD)
Josh Verges jverges@argusleader.com
May 5, 2008
The former Highmore police chief accused of murdering his wife had been under investigation for misusing department property at the time of the killing, according to recently unsealed documents in the Hyde County murder case. Ken Huber, 41, is scheduled for trial in September on alternate charges of first-degree murder and manslaughter for the Oct. 28 shooting of his wife Pam, who died six days later at age 46. Huber has said he accidentally shot the woman in the forehead while moving one of his guns. But search warrant affidavits reveal a variety of possible motives and contributing factors for murder:
The Hubers had fought over their inability to pay bills, and the life insurance payout on Pam Huber doubled if she were to die accidentally... Ken Huber had reportedly been abusing prescription drugs... Two weeks before the shooting, Highmore city officials initiated an investigation concerning police property Huber might have taken... The Hubers had discussed divorce, and Ken Huber had been having a romantic affair with Jennifer Lowrie, Hyde County's acting state's attorney. Huber ended a 50-minute phone call with Lowrie about an hour before the shooting, and called her to the house immediately after.... Law enforcement searches turned up e-mails in the Hubers' bedroom regarding a third affair in 2004, and a search of Pam Huber's city finance office produced a stack of e-mails between Ken Huber and several women. In a separate filing last month, Huber's lawyer Mike Butler asked a judge to move the trial to Tripp County so that Huber can get a fair trial, writing: "There exists in the Highmore community a widely held belief that Defendant is guilty (of) murdering Pam Huber"... [Full article here]

[SD] Judge tells Pam's slayer "ex" Chief Huber NO

...A circuit judge has refused to lower the bond for a former Highmore police chief accused of shooting and killing his wife...

Previous blog entries:
[SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber shot in head - No arrest yet
[SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber has died, he's free - Fund for their kids
[SD] Huber Affidavit for Probable Cause for 1st Degree Murder
Pam Huber of Highmore South Dakota

Ken Huber Appears in Court
KSFY.com
By Associated Press
Nov 13, 2007
A circuit judge has refused to lower the bond for a former Highmore police chief accused of shooting and killing his wife. Forty-one year-old Ken Huber had his first court appearance in Highmore on a charge of first-degree murder and an alternate count of first-degree manslaughter in the death of his wife, Pamela, who was Highmore's city finance officer. Huber has said his wife was shot October 28th when his pistol fired accidentally in their home. He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. Circuit Judge James W. Anderson said Tuesday he would not reduce the bond because both charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
Today at 10:56 AM Hyde County resident. wrote ...
So sad, he could have just gotten a divorce--walked away and started over. Instead he chose to take a life, ruin his life, and traumatize his daughters. So what if he had to sell everything and pay child support...


Prosecutor's Role At A Crime Scene
KELOLAND TV
Lou Raguse
11/12/2007
Murder suspect Ken Huber will enter a plea in court tomorrow in Highmore. Investigators believe he shot his wife Pam Huber in the head and tried to make it look like an accident. Hyde County State's Attorney Jennifer Lowrie is not personally handling the case, because of a conflict of interest. She admits having an affair with Ken Huber, and she arrived at the scene of the shooting before any officers... In Highmore two weeks ago, the Hyde County State's Attorney was the first at the scene. Jennifer Lowrie was in the Huber household shortly after Ken Huber, either accidentally or purposefully, shot his wife Pam in the head. But according to court papers, she wasn't acting as the county's prosecutor. She told investigators she was legally representing Ken Huber and the two were having an affair. Lowrie was immediately removed from the case because of the conflicts of interest... As of right now, Jennifer Lowrie is still acting as the Hyde County State's Attorney. If she does not resign, only the governor has the power to remove her from that position, if she breached any ethics at the crime scene...

[SD] Time inching forward on Pam's killer - and husband - Ex-Chief Huber

Motions hearing set for Huber trial
KMEG 14, IA - May 24, 2008

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A pretrial motions hearing is scheduled next month for Ken Huber, the former Highmore police chief accused of killing his wife.

Huber has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and an alternate charge of first-degree manslaughter in the death of Pamela Huber.

The motions hearing will be June 4-6 in Pierre.

Huber's trial is scheduled for September.

Previous blog entries:

• [SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber shot in head - No arrest yet
• [SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber has died, he's free - Fund for their kids
• [SD] Huber Affidavit for Probable Cause for 1st Degree Murder
  
• Pam Huber of Highmore South Dakota
  
• [KY] Ex?-Deputy has murdered his wife Pamela Gayle Copley
  
• [SD] Judge tells Pam's slayer "ex" Chief Huber NO
  
• [SD] Ex-chief Huber pleads not-guilty. Community focuses on Pam's kids.
  
• [SD] Motives of Ex-Chief Huber killing wife Pam begin to emerge

[SD] Huber Affidavit for Probable Cause for 1st Degree Murder

Ken Huber - Police Chief of Highmore South Dakota for 8 years, then of Miller South Dakota up until October - did shoot his wife Pam Huber in the forehead, and kill her.
I have converted the Affidavit In Support Of Probable Cause pdf file into text form, and the complete text is in the comments section of this entry. The affidavit shows clearly that Ken tried telling one of his daughters what to say to 911, and Pam's son Jeremy tells of Ken's abuse of his mother.

In the affidavit the intimidation tactics of Ken Huber with his weapon are clear. What's heartbreaking is that this is just a glimpse of the man that Pam and the children lived with every day.

Hyde County District Attorney Jennifer Lowrie - who Ken beckons to his crime scene - admits to police she sleeps with the chief and helped him out of some scary trouble in Miller. Ken Huber was a one-man police department in an isolated small town that is the seat of a sparsely populated county.

The question of what took so long - ten days - to arrest him is still unanswered.

I am grieving Pam's stolen life, her death, and praying for her family, friends, and community.

Funeral services will be 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007, at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Highmore, with David Peterson officiating. Burial will be in the Highmore Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the church, followed by a 7:30 p.m. prayer service and P.E.O. service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Missouri Shores Domestic Violence Center in Pierre or any local Domestic Violence Center. Luze Funeral Home of Highmore has been entrusted with arrangements. Guestbook for Pam is here.

Previous blog entries:

• [SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber shot in head - No arrest yet
• [SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber has died, he's free - Fund for their kids

[SD] Ex-Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber GUILTY of wife Pam's murder. Gets LIFE.

PREVIOUS POSTS HERE

(Then scroll down.)

HUBER SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

KELOLAND TV

By Jon Berg

May 24, 2011, 4:06 PM

HURON, SD - Former police chief Ken Huber has been found guilty of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison immediately after the jury returned its verdict Tuesday afternoon.

Deliberations in Huber's second murder trial began shortly after noon on Tuesday.

Huber was charged with murdering his wife in 2007 in Highmore. A jury convicted him of the crime, but the South Dakota Supreme Court ordered a new trial to allow additional evidence. [LINK]

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder south dakota state politics]

[WI] Deputy Lambrecht again won't be charged. This time, for a domestic incident

FROM SEPTEMBER 2011 NEWS:

...On Saturday, September 17th [2011], the Dane County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint that an off-duty deputy [David Lambrecht]  was involved in a domestic incident. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office asked the Sun Prairie Police Department to investigate the allegation. As a result of their investigation, Sun Prairie Police arrested David Lambrecht...

FROM NOVEMBER 2O11 NEWS:

...The case against Dane County Deputy David Lambrecht has been declined by the Rock County District Attorney’s Office. Deputy David Lambrecht has returned to duty...

FROM 2000 NEWS:

...A lawsuit in which a former Dane County Jail inmate alleged that a jailer [deputy David Lambrecht] forced her to perform a sex act on him while she was an inmate was dismissed Monday after attorneys could not locate their client...

ARTICLE EXCERPTS:


SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ARRESTED ON DOMESTIC DISORDERLY CHARGE

State Journal
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 5:30 am
A Dane County Sheriff's deputy [David Lambrecht, 42] was arrested on a charge of domestic disorderly conduct following an incident Saturday, the Dane County Sheriff's Office said... [Full article here]

UPDATE: DANE CO. DEPUTY RETURNS TO DUTY AFTER ARREST
WKOW
Sep 20, 2011 6:59 PM PST
[Excerpts] The Dane County Sheriff's Office says one of its deputies has returned to duty after he was arrested in September. Back on September 17, the Dane County Sheriff's Office received a complaint that an off-duty deputy was involved in a domestic incident. After further investigation by the Sun Prairie Police Department, Dane County Deputy David Lambrecht was arrested... The Rock County DA's office decided not to prosecute Lambrecht, citing a lack of merit in the case....Lambrecht is charged with domestic disorderly conduct, but police didn't elaborate... [Full article here]

UPDATE: DANE CO. DEPUTY INVOLVED IN DOMESTIC INCIDENT - Sun Prairie Police arrest Dane County Deputy David Lambrecht on a charge of Domestic Disorderly Conduct. UPDATE: The Rock Co. DA declines the case; Deputy returns to work.
nbc15.com
Nov 1, 2011
[Excerpts] From the Dane Co. Sheriff's Department: "The case against Dane County Deputy David Lambrecht has been declined by the Rock County District Attorney’s Office. Deputy David Lambrecht has returned to duty following a September 28th decision by the Rock County District Attorney’s Office where they concluded the case lacked merit... Rock County District Attorney’s Office stated “our office will be taking no action on the charge of Disorderly Conduct as a Domestic Abuse Incident. The behavior of Mr. Lambrecht, while inappropriate, in my opinion did not rise to the level of criminal behavior. The Sun Prairie Police Department conducted a very thorough investigation of the incident which included a history of the family dynamics since Mr. Lambrecht and the victim…divorced approximately 7 years ago.” The outcome of Sheriff’s Office administrative investigation is still pending"... On Saturday, September 17th, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint that an off-duty deputy was involved in a domestic incident.
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office asked the Sun Prairie Police Department to investigate the allegation. As a result of their investigation, Sun Prairie Police arrested David Lambrecht on a charge of Domestic Disorderly Conduct... [Full article here]

DOMESTIC ABUSE CHARGES WON'T BE FILED AGAINST ARRESTED DEPUTY, DA DECIDES
The Capital Times
Bill Novak
November 2, 2011
[Excerpts] ...The Dane County Sheriff's Office is continuing its administrative investigation into the incident. [Full article here]

2000

GUARD FORCED SEX, FORMER INMATE ALLEGES: Woman files lawsuit, saying privileges were revoked when she refused advances
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Kevin Murphy
September 23, 2000
[Excerpts] A former Dane County Jail inmate has filed a federal lawsuit against the county, alleging that a guard forced her to have sex with him and that when she refused his subsequent requests, he retaliated by getting her work-release privileges revoked. The 30-year-old woman was in jail in November on a check forgery offense when a sheriff's deputy twice forced her to perform a sex act on him,... The Sheriff's Department investigated the complaint but found the woman's allegations to be groundless, said Capt. Michael Plumer, jail services supervisor. Plumer would not say whether disciplinary action was taken in the incident but said the deputy still works for the department...

WOMAN'S SUIT ACCUSES JAILER
The Madison Capital Times
Kevin Murphy Correspondent
25 Sep 2000: 3A.
[Excerpts] A former Dane County Jail inmate [K.E.] is alleging that a jailer [sheriff's Deputy David Lambrecht] forced her to have oral sex with him and, when she refused his subsequent requests, retaliated by having her Huber privileges revoked, according to a federal lawsuit... Lambrecht also allegedly tossed one of [K.E.]'s bras around a room to other deputies while laughing, the suit contends... [Jail services supervisor Capt. Michael] Plumer would not confirm or deny if disciplinary actions were taken against Lambrecht, but said Lambrecht remains a jailer. Dane County has denied [K.E.]'s notice of claim for damages. [K.E.]'s attorney Eric Haag, filed the lawsuit Thursday. "She had recently had a baby and was looking forward to using her Huber privileges to see the baby occasionally," Haag said.... [K.E.] has since been released from jail, lives with her son and works in the Madison area.

FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST COUNTY JAILER THE SUIT ACCUSES HIM OF REVOKING AN INMATE'S HUBER PRIVILEGES FOR HER REFUSAL TO DO A SEX ACT.
Wisconsin State Journal
Murphy, Kevin
27 Sep 2000: 2B.
[Excerpts] ...[K.E.], who was jailed in November on a check forgery offense, alleges that on two occasions Sheriff's Deputy David Lambrecht forced her to perform oral sex on him, according to the recently filed suit... [K.E.]'s attorney Eric Haag said he did not know how Lambrecht's alleged sexual requests began but that they were unwelcomed by a vulnerable Ennen... Dane County denied Ennen's notice of claim for damages earlier this year...

SHERIFF: WOMAN'S CHARGES AGAINST DEPUTY ARE FALSE
The Madison Capital Times
Mike Miller
30 Sep 2000: 3A.
[Excerpts] Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin said Friday that allegations that a deputy forced a woman jail inmate to engage in sex acts were untrue. The allegations were raised last week in a federal lawsuit filed by Kimberly Ennen, 30, who was sentenced last year to a one-year jail term in a forgery case. Ennen said in her lawsuit in U.S. District Court here that Deputy David Lambrecht forced her to perform sex acts on him on two occasions and later took away her Huber privileges when she refused further sex requests. Hamblin said in a statement issued Friday afternoon that when Ennen first made the allegations several months ago, his department investigated the matter, found it to be untrue, then asked the state Department of Criminal Investigation to review the findings of the Sheriff's Office. DCI's review "concluded with the finding that the Dane County Sheriff's office had `conducted a very thorough investigation' of the allegations," Hamblin said. "The allegation upon which this suit is based was investigated thoroughly and swiftly and found to be completely without merit," Hamblin said. "Deputy Lambrecht is an honorable and competent employee with an excellent reputation," the sheriff said. "We found no indication of misconduct of any sort. Hamblin said that while he usually does not talk about pending litigation involving the department or a deputy, "because of the nature of these allegations and the damaging effect to Deputy Lambrecht's reputation in the community, I feel compelled to comment in this instance."

LAWSUIT AGAINST DEPUTY SHERIFF HAS NO MERIT: Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin
Madison Capital Times
5 Oct 2000: 13A.
[Excerpts] Dear Editor: On Sept. 22, a federal lawsuit was filed by a former inmate of the Dane County Jail against Dane County, its insurance company and Deputy Sheriff David Lambrecht, alleging Deputy Lambrecht used his position to force the female inmate to perform sex acts while she was an inmate in the Dane County Jail. Immediately upon hearing of these allegations, and months before this suit was filed, the Sheriff's Office thoroughly investigated the alleged misconduct... Generally, the Sheriff's Office and I, as the sheriff, remain silent on pending lawsuits involving a deputy or the Sheriff's Office. However, because of the nature of these allegations and the damaging effect to Deputy Lambrecht's reputation in the community, I feel compelled to comment in this instance. The Dane County Sheriff's Office is staffed by professional men and women who have dedicated their lives to making Dane County a safe place in which to live. This office and I, personally, take allegations of misconduct very seriously... Deputy Lambrecht is an honorable and competent employee with an excellent reputation. We found no indication of misconduct of any sort. It is unfortunate that employment as a deputy sheriff subjects one to baseless allegations and legal action that has such damaging effects on one's reputation and family. I and all of the men and women of the Dane County Sheriff's Office stand behind and support Deputy Lambrecht and his family during these trying times...

JUDGE DISMISSES FORMER INMATE'S SEX CASE
The Madison Capital Times
Kevin Murphy
05 Dec 2000: 3A.
[Excerpts] A lawsuit in which a former Dane County Jail inmate alleged that a jailer forced her to perform a sex act on him while she was an inmate was dismissed Monday after attorneys could not locate their client. Attorneys for [K.E.], 30, asked that the federal lawsuit be dismissed because their investigators could not find her after filing the suit on her behalf in September. [K.E.]  had lived and worked in the Madison area since her release from jail, said her attorney, Eric Haag. However, investigators hired by Haag have not been able to find her for an unspecified period of time, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court...

LAWSUIT AGAINST DEPUTY DROPPED CASE INVOLVED ALLEGATIONS OF ORAL SEX
Wisconsin State Journal
Beth Williams
07 Dec 2000: B3.
[Excerpts] A federal lawsuit against a Dane County sheriff's deputy alleging that he sexually assaulted a jail inmate was dismissed on Tuesday... Dane County Sheriff Gary Hamblin said the sheriff's office investigated the charges in February and found them to be baseless. He added that the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation reviewed their investigation. "I've always been confident that our finding would be upheld that he had not done anything wrong," Hamblin said. But the woman's attorney, Eric Haag, said he made a motion to withdraw from the case because he couldn't find her, and the case was then dismissed. "The dismissal of the case doesn't have anything to do with the merits of the case," Haag said...
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety rape sexual assault repeat hx teflon wisconsin state politics]

[SD] Trial for Chief who shot wife Pam Huber in forehead "accidentally" is starting

All posts on Pam's death, here.

Jury Selection Nearly Done In Highmore Shooting
KELOLAND TV, SD
12/03/2008
A jury was expected to be in place by midday Thursday in the trial of a former Highmore police chief who is charged with slaying his wife 13 months ago. Finding jurors to consider Ken Huber's fate has been difficult. Many people questioned in the jury selection process said they believe he is guilty or were leaning that way. Picking an impartial jury has also been complicated because many of those considered for jury duty have ties to the close-knit Highmore community, where Pam Huber was popular. The woman was shot once in the forehead as she slept. Her husband claims it was an accident.

[SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber has died, he's free - Fund for their kids

FUND FOR CHILDREN OF PAM HUBER
Heartland State Bank
114 Commercial Ave Se
Highmore, SD 57345
(605) 852-2177
contact form

To read about what happened & what hasn't happened:
[SD] Chief's wife Pam Huber shot in head - No arrest yet

Pam Huber of Highmore South Dakota

8yr Highmore Police Chief Ken Huber arrested for murder.
Resigned one month before killing Pam.

[KY] Ex?-Deputy has murdered his wife Pamela Gaye Copley

I don't know if Copley is a "former" deputy from years ago, or is just not a deputy now because he murdered his wife Pamela. One of these articles names the killer as Ronald, and the other calls him Robert.

There are too many very recent deaths - one is "too many" but Pamela Brainard was just murdered by her Plainwell Michigan Police Officer husband, Kevin after she felt she couldn't turn to his co-workers for help. Kevin killed himself too. Pamela Huber was just murdered in Highmore South Dakota by her only-cop-in-town Police Chief husband Ken - who wasn't arrested for a week and a half though he was witnessed over Pamela Huber with the gun. Right now there is a massive search on for Stacy Peterson in Bolingbrook Illinois with her police Sgt. husband Drew acting bizarre and not helping. As they are searching - now for only her body - plans are being made to exhume his last wife Kathleen Savio from her grave. She drowned in a dry bathtub with fresh - not old as reported - bruises on her body - and it was ruled accidental at the time. In Georgia they have not stopped looking for Walker County Dispatcher Theresa Parker's body. Though LaFayette Police fired her Police Sgt husband Sam Parker after her disappearance (for having explosives in his work locker) they have not arrested him yet. NYPD Sonia Garcia was shot and killed in her house while there alone with her NYPD boyfriend Alex Chapparo. It has been determined to be homicide and that his gun was the murder weapon, but he has not been arrested yet either as these past few weeks pass. I could go on, but this entry is about Pamela Gaye Copley losing her life while running for her life with no one to save her. This first article here doesn't even bother to use Pamela's name. How sad.

Former Sheriff's Deputy Charged With Murder
WBKO
Nov 8, 2007
A former Kentucky sheriff's deputy is facing charges after police say he shot a woman to death, then led them on a chase in Russell County... Neighbors say Robert Copley chased his 40-year-old wife while firing several shots. Amanda Prader says the woman ran through her house and collapsed on the back porch. "I know she was hurt, she was holding her side, but I can't really tell ya'. I know there's a bullet hole in our back and our glass is busted," Prader explained. After leading police on a chase, Copley wrecked his car and fled on foot. He was later arrested without incident. Robert Copley will be charged with first-degree murder, wanton endangerment and burglary because he was found inside a trailer.

Former Russell deputy charged with murder
HERALD-LEADER
Nov. 08, 2007
A former Russell County sheriff's deputy was charged Thursday with murder after his wife was shot to death, Kentucky State Police said. Ronald Copley was arrested in Russell County about 11:45 a.m. after brief foot pursuit. He was taken to Russell County Hospital and is being treated for non-life threatening, self-inflicted wounds, state police said. Copley's wife, Pamela Gaye [sp?] Copley, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene on Decatur Road in Russell County. Ronald Copley will be held at the Russell County jail upon release from the hospital.

Dianne Carter said...

Although Pam is 5years older than me we became really good friends when I was a waitress at Country Plus Restaurant when I was sixteen. Pam was a very sweet beautiful person, who had a laugh that even on your worst day would make you laugh. When I was seventeen Pam met Ronald, who from the getgo lied to her and told her he was a divorced man, he wasn't, and he was abusive to her then, that was 1990, how I remember the year is because Pam took me to the Health Dept in July of 1990 when I found out I was pregnant. My 1st born and Pam's 1st born are just a few months apart, and when Pam found out she was pregnant she hid from Ronald at my house, on the day I found out my friend had died my mother reminded me of what Pam said when she hiding at my house,she said it calmly and quietly, that Ronald would kill her someday, he was threating her then. After her daughter was born she showed up at my house at about 2a.m. she was carring her baby, screaming and crying because Ronald had beaten her, because he was claiming the baby was not his. Seeing my friend like this my first instinct was to call the police, but Pam begged me not to because Ronald was an ex-cop and a upstanding member of society . I seen fear and panic in my friends eyes and I was scared she would take off so I didn't make the call, that's my first guilty feeling. Sitting here now it's almost over welming, I should of made the call and sat on top of her if that's what it took, to keep her there,but I couldn't. See my friend was in love with someone who abused her mind first, Pam was 23 when this incident happened and Ronald was 43,he had been a married man who lied to a young girl, who was not an upstanding anything, he beat and stalked a petite girl like Pam who was unable to defend herself, because unfortunally Ronald was not her first abuser. My second regret came around 4 years later I actually believed Pam when she came to my house to announced Ronald had changed and they were getting married, for the second time (the first time was around 1991, but they annuled after 1 day) I bought their wedding cake, my friend was so happy the wedding was going to be so small that I wanted to contribute, so I bought the cake. My third regret is this,Ronald always knew that I knew he was a snake in the grass and that I did not respect him as an upstanding member of society, after seeing Pam's bruises I couldn't, and I was not afraid to tell him, so after Pam and Ronald married Pam was no longer allowed around me, the only times I was able to see my dear friend was if I saw her out somewhere... that's the biggest regret was allowing that jerk to take my friend away. Hey Ron if you ever read this my name is Dianne Carter, you can't bad mouth, beat, intimidate or ever hurt my friend again, and now the whole world knows what a coward, jerk, and most of all not at all an upstanding member of socety, same as me. I have been to my friends grave 2 times now so you can't keep her from me, you can't take my memories, in short you have shown the world what a loser you are. Anyone out there, with the exception of the children that are invovled, who has wasted any pity on this horrible beast should know not all monsters are hiding under your bed some sleep right beside you, petite Pam's did , I promise you.

[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder kentucky state politics]