Life sentence handed down to 81-year-old in cold case murder

St. Croix County Judge Scott Nordstrand told the courtroom that by 1985 law, he had no choice but to make Mary Jo Bailey eligible for parole after 20 years.
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[@NoNO-tl8fg]

81 yrs old. She has lived her whole life, at her age, she might last a year or 2. Disgusting that she got away with this for almost 4 decades

[@Kim-Berly200]

She got by for awhile, but she didn’t get away. She lived in fear and torment for the last 40 yrs. Her crimes haunted.

[@watjejanssen7535]

at least she is gone die in prison and with a bit of luck she lives some more years inside

[@Memg007]

Eternal hell is waiting for her

[@sharondoan1447]

This murderer, even at 81, will never walk freely in this world. She will never again make any choice about almost every aspect of her daily life. Somethings you may not realize about prison life include the constant lights on 24/7 , and the constant noise. There is never a moment of peace and quiet. As her health deteriorates she will spend her time in the prison infirmary which will be a kind of upgrade.

[@normanspurgeon5324]

They have an air of entitlement in the police dept. If they want to ignore it,they will, which is what they did.

[@KimberlyBishh]

Killers get old, just because she looks like a grandma doesn't mean she's not a murderer.

[@gdiup9241]

Yup don't judge a book by its cover

[@i.ehrenfest349]

She looks nothing like my, or any sweet, grandma

[@righteousbyfaithinChrist]

​​@@i.ehrenfest349So she doesn't look like your sweet grandmother... She let jealousy take her to a dark place. Now, she will be incarcerated.

[@righteousbyfaithinChrist]

If you live long enough you get old... Now she is paying for the deed. I'm sure you feel better knowing true justice is being served.

[@righteousbyfaithinChrist]

​@@gdiup9241just think...

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Aw, her poor daughter to carry that.

[@RonMeece]

hope she lives to be 110

[@carltonwalton9819]

That’s a very disgusting thing to say. Life is precious! You should be wishing her the longest life recorded in history.

[@patricialittle4752]

Here, here!

[@serenity8876]

I feel so sad for her daughter, she looks so sad to this day. She mustn't feel badly about it, that horrible murder was the responsibility of that woman not her.

[@annewas46]

Jack was not charismatic. He was a jerk.

[@botsareeverywhere]

He was?

[@Garybob-e9q]

@@annewas46 Jack simply wanted to Trade in an Ol Nag Mare for a Younger Filly with better Disposition and Conformation, that Rode better under the Saddle.

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

How so? Was he lying to any of the women he was dating? It doesn't sound like he did and, when Yvonne made her ultimatum, he made a decision and stuck to it. So long as people are honest with each other, having multiple partners isn't being a jerk, it's being an adult human being who is not in a committed relationship.

[@Garybob-e9q]

@@GrainneDhub-ll6vw He probably lied for a while, triangulated them, got a boost for the attention of 2 Women, and when Mare told Stud to make a decision, he bred the Filly.

[@tapestry6455]

@@Garybob-e9q how does one guess a person when they never knew them? That is prejudice to the max.

[@carisowealthy]

Jack was not worth it sorry

[@irishledden4924]

Jack always spoke highly of you.

[@shannonscheffel7366]

Do tell!

[@hgh495]

agreed. no man is

[@ms.mojo_risin]

To the daughter of the woman and mother, who was murdered, please try not to carry any of the gilt that may have been with you for so long. When I was young, if someone asked me the same questions I would have answered them, I used to do it. People would call my house all the time and ask where my mom was and I would tell them. It is not your fault. It never was your fault. This woman did this to your mother and she did this to you. I am so sorry.

[@oldschool8432]

They said it was a mystery who killed her but yet everyone knew who did it

[@Whipporwhill]

@@oldschool8432 Exactly! And they had the evidence the whole time. Shoddy prosecution. Should have locked up this monster sooner.

[@DulceN]

It’s never too late to serve Justice.

[@sidecar7714]

Yes it is

[@dawn1913]

Justice delayed ..... is not justice at all (however it goes).

[@pattyk101]

What I'm hearing is that the original investigation simply dropped the ball. Those boots and the plaster cast didn't just suddenly turn up and witnesses have always been there. Shoddy police work.

[@dawn1913]

Exactly. I saw nothing new evidence. Not like they discovered DNA or the smoking gun. Pathetic

[@Darci3333]

I don't want anyone that is carrying on with someone else while supposed to be with me. You have absolutely nothing when you have someone like that in your life.

[@robingagan6288]

Fighting over a cheater, smart

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Where did it say he was cheating? Did I miss the part where they said he had made a commitment to any of the women he was dating? It sounds to me like he was being honest with both women and when Yvonne made her ultimatum, he made his choice and stuck to it. As long as everyone is being honest, it's not cheating to have multiple partners, it's just consenting adults who are not in a committed relationship. If there's no commitment, there's no cheating.

[@robingagan6288]

True. He wasn’t even good looking. He wouldn’t be commited even after the victims death. Makes no sense. And why would he want a stalker, crazy lady, just for sex.

[@chrisking1457]

​@@robingagan6288how could he possibly be committed after she was dead. That's ridiculous his girlfriend was dead so the commitment is over unless somehow he thinks he should've committed to the person that murdered his girlfriend which is even more ridiculous.

[@robingagan6288]

@@chrisking1457 I’m talking about when both women were alive smh. He was playing them both at the same time

[@chrisking1457]

@@robingagan6288 yeah I was referring to your other comment. I read it more in the sense that he wasn't committed after the victim's death. Which is why I said what I said. I reread it now and see what you're saying.

[@lorig4871]

How much justice is this ? She has lived her life. ,while the victim didn't. To little to late ,in these cold cases

[@JK-lp6uw]

You have a better idea?

[@dawsie]

No… never too late for the families, knowing that they were finally able to prove it, is better than having a maybe hanging over your family. Yes the woman got to live her life, but she still did not get the man she wanted, and she lived her life looking over her shoulder waiting for that tap on the shoulder saying your nicked. All cold cases are reviewed, to see if modern technology can give new insight to a cold case. Sometimes it’s just having new younger fresher eyes reading the notes that can make or brake an old case. In the past 6 years I have noticed more of the cases from the 80’s and early 90’s have started to be solved due to this very fact. It is never too late to catch a killer.

[@Lunchladydoyle]

So let her go ?? More like better late than never !!

[@JoeJoe-tg3ed]

She looks dead already.

[@daynasafranek7807]

Her mug shot. Omg.

[@Garybob-e9q]

@@daynasafranek7807 All them Years of Regret, Shame, Dread and Worry. Plus the Normal Effects of Aging.

[@OldJoeBlows]

She has been carrying this in her soul. One would think it would have an impact on her soul.

[@TheJingles007]

@@OldJoeBlows One would hope. But we have a lot of evil people around us

[@jmo2104]

This is good. I know the woman is old, but it's justice. We're seeing something on the news the other day about some men who it is old like that. And they just let him stay out, didn't even take him to court. That's just wrong.

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

I can think of a couple cases that may fit that description but in each of the cases I can think of, the reason the suspect never went to court is that they had dementia, were not capable of assisting in their own defence and were not going to ever be capable of assisting in their own defence. The US is a nation that believes in the rule of law and the ability to assist in one's own defence is a constitutional right. The foundational right of our justice system is to be legally considered innocent until proven guilty in court. Nations that don't have those fundamental rights are called things like Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, etc. Not exactly places noted for the excellence of their justice systems and not places I want to live.

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

Life sentence for an 81 year old? That could be two weeks.

[@annegreenwood3624]

this monster got 40 years to enjoy life yet all her victim got was a cold grave just disgusting happy her family finally has closure may she rip

[@daynasafranek7807]

At least she won’t enjoy her last few years. Some justice is better than no justice.

[@louisefleming3117]

exactly. who wants to die in jail? nobody

[@sherrimartin1057]

There is justice beyond this lifetime. And that's for eternity.

[@emmapeel8163]

she'll be on taxpayers dime. ridiculous

[@mace41canuck]

@@louisefleming3117don’t mess with old people, its free retirement for them. At her age she is probably lucky to be done with the guilt and can live with the weight lifted better even if its in jail.

[@grisom5863]

​@@sherrimartin1057 Unless repentance is done. But I'm not sure she'll want it.

[@grandmapamm]

I can’t understand how anyone can kill a person and just go on with their life. Unfortunately her sentence is not the justice she deserves but she will get punished by God when she dies for sure.

[@ruthgiles8926]

Sadly not.

[@squirrelcovers6340]

Gawd😂😂😂😂😂

[@semperfi6801]

Free room and board and meals cooked everyday. They also treat elderly different in prison. She'll live out her last days being taken care of. Might not be a rest home but she's already lived her life. Sad case either way.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

Oh stop the narrative that prison is nice

[@Lunchladydoyle]

You’re delusional, butthurt or both. They don’t care how old you are, prison is no rest home. My best friend was a CO for 12 years who actually cared about the women she worked with and she had to quit because of the dehumanizing conditions the prisoners were living in. Rotten, stale food and sour milk served in the chow hall. Mold in all the showers and bathrooms. Cells that leak and flood. Overcrowding. There is no separation of elderly from generation population. Medical appointments take months to get. The only thing in great supply are psych meds and other prisoners who prey on the weak and vulnerable. If you’re not invited into a clique you will get your commissary stolen as soon as you get it. And she worked in one of the more modern prisons that had decent heating and air conditioning. You would probably go bonkers in a month even if your macho screen name means you were a marine. Our prisons are falling apart and an embarrassment unless you compare them to third world countries.

[@SweetSassyBull]

That's a shame if she's treated any better, why should she! In fact it should be worse as she has had all those free years.

[@janemiettinen5176]

Why not let her go then, if prison is almost like a price? And why only homeless and mentally ill try to get there on purpose? It’s a bit more than just room and board and this is still justice, only very delayed.

[@grouchyoleguy]

​@@i.ehrenfest349 it's been proven that after certain age inmates are treated better by other inmates and staff

[@water2wine1]

Sounds like it could have been solved within a couple years of when it happened.

[@micheleparadis2808]

I don't know about charismatic but he's certainly not photogenic... ; )

[@Al-Rudigor]

He must have had money?

[@debramills7241]

The law didnt help the victim in this case but did the killer.very sad

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

How so? It sounds like the people who knew Mary Jo Bailey was stalking Yvonne Menke but chose not to tell the police about it until decades later were the ones who failed to help the victim in this case. Actually, there was nothing they could do to help the victim (I'm sure none of them realised Bailey was going to murder the victim) but charging Mary Jo Bailey decades earlier may have brought some sense of justice to Yvonne Menke's family and loved ones.

[@gr8dvd]

@@GrainneDhub-ll6vw All the people, w/o exception, who knew of the stalking and were mum had to be VERY loyal to the perp and scum. Or MUCH more likely, LE failed the victim and her poor daughter lacking either the skill or tenacity to glean this info decades ago.

[@mrcuda73]

A lesson for all of us, just because somebody asked you for information doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. I feel bad for her daughter. She was probably too young to question Why would somebody ask when her mom goes to work. At least find out who’s asking and why. When I was a kid growing up, my dad was adamant about. Don’t tell anybody anything. It’s none of their business.

[@MomMom4Cubs]

Social engineering is a real bish. Especially when that term wasn't really in use at the time of the murder. I think the daughter, a clearly naive lady herself at the time, thought it was someone with good intentions.

[@brendaeaves1079]

This devil thought she got away with it but? NOT!

[@emiilyjaane7]

She did get away with it. She doesn't have that many years to live. She lived her whole life free doing whatever she wants. Yeah it's great now the daughter knows who killed her mother, but what does that really change ?

[@ldirk58601]

And what ever happened to the two timing man in the story? Its a crime of passion and his heartbreaking game ruined everybody. Not an excuse but its pretty accurate.

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Where did it say he was being dishonest with either woman? I must have missed the part where it said he had made some type of commitment to either woman before Yvonne made an ultimatum and Jack made the decision to choose her and dropped Mary Jo Bailey. An adult in relationships with multiple partners is not automatically cheating if they are honest with everyone and have made no commitment. Dating someone multiple times does not a commitment make.

[@JK-lp6uw]

How do you think you know so much about the man? Why do you care what happened to him?

[@ldirk58601]

@@GrainneDhub-ll6vw Because nobody goes around dating two women unless they are in a religious cult. And, they didnt say he wasn't two timing so where do you get your info that he wasn't? It goes both ways. I just live in the real world.

[@ldirk58601]

@@JK-lp6uw I dont care about the man! I care about the women who fall in love with cheaters.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

@@ldirk58601my father wasn’t in a cult. He dated 3 women, for a while. Was honest with them all.

[@texasrefugee7888]

Her prison life won't be as bad as a nursing home would be.

[@junehanzawa5165]

It is shameful for those initial investigators to do such a poor job. This wasn't DNA or anything like tha which solved this case, they could have gotten all they needed back then had they truly tried. Those boots were there then as they were there now.

[@dfmullen1922]

It’s ridiculous that it takes this long for justice.

[@dolinaj1]

It goes without saying that no man anywhere, but especially in the US Midwest, is worth brawling over and/or murdering a rival in order to nix the competition. What a horror story!

[@alabasterwilliams5329]

Us midwest fellas are gonna look preeeetty good once the rest of you don’t have any water left.

[@gnostic268]

Stalking wasn't considered against the law or even creepy back then by LE. The barely take it into consideration in 2024.

[@lisatirkot7210]

Yes it was are you drunk

[@lisatirkot7210]

Yes it was

[@stevenwadedavis6986]

So she lived a life full of guilt...Evil.

[@melindalevins6197]

Did she get her man?

[@MegaJackpinesavage]

Great job, Ms Shortal, of punctuating the importance of Justice. Perhaps KARE 11 could look into the 2001 cold case murder of Rachel Anthony in Pine River, Mn. You'd do a great service to a small town with many lives still bothered by this tragedy

[@Al-Rudigor]

Almost every true crime show I watch, is about murder in a small town. I'm starting to think this type of thing does happen in those places. 🤔

[@MegaJackpinesavage]

@@Al-Rudigor Maybe it's what helps to keep them small &/or is good for business. No such thing as bad publicity & all that. Or keeps the heat off the local opioid trade by scaring people sh*tless.

[@MegaJackpinesavage]

@@Al-Rudigor Do many offer a $50,000 reward for capture of the killer?

[@discobikerAndRosie]

"In modern times". Lady, the 1980s were modern times. It wasn't the horse & buggy days for goodness sake. I'd had been a year or two older than the daughter.

[@wanya_telborn]

Wow and all along everyone knew

[@aftertheheadlines]

They could have taken that case to trial with that footprint decades ago. The police and prosecution failed at their job. They had no new information. Stalking wasn’t not a chargeable crime in that era.

[@JK-lp6uw]

Thank you genius.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

Actually it probably was

[@Ron71997]

Wow ...getting away with cold blooded murder for almost 40 year.... she has lived her entire life with this guilt and blood on her hands. Now finally going to be behind bars. Hard to believe she got away with it for so long.

[@Whipporwhill]

Curcumstantial evidence is definitely a thing. Too bad the killer was not convicted sooner. They had all that evidence from the beginning.

[@nsnopper]

“Justice? You get justice in the next world; in this world you have the law.” ― William Gaddis, A Frolic of His Own

[@mnoliberal7335]

The rest of her life will be much less than if she had been convicted decades before. She got to live her life after taking another. Better late than never.

[@merlynalexander]

Over Jack? Man, that must be a bad photo of Jack, cause charismatic he is not.

[@bkitteh6295]

What a case!

[@TheListOf]

Bring back the DP in all 50 states.

[@DustBunny7]

You are right!

[@misskitty2710]

That picture of Mary Jo is ever scary!

[@kartiersupremewhite330]

Extremely interesting and informative!

[@SkipAd_Vegas]

Stay single, stay alive, stay happy.

[@TheZipeedoo]

How does DNA play a role here? Seems like they had a highly incriminating boot print plus a fair amount of strong circumstantial evidence, but they just sat on it for decades because a small town didn't want to convict this woman.

[@kepckatherinec805]

Yes, plus what kind of DNA from the murderer would have been obtainable, outdoors in the snow with lots of foot and vehicle traffic disturbing the scene? Those boots prints did provide highly suggestible evidence. And the sordid love triangle history, mixed with stalking-that goes beyond coincidence. I can’t help feeling that a more thorough investigation at the time of the murder would have resulted in a conviction long ago.

[@junehanzawa5165]

​@traybernBut not those rare boots.

[@OfficerPolaris]

There was no DNA evidence.

[@DorcasLandry]

👍

[@justbenice7448]

Is it really that hard to just walk away and NOT M someone else??

[@nancyhammons3594]

What happened to Jack Owen?

[@patchadams4me]

He died of natural causes in Montana in 2021.

[@petegregory517]

That guy forgot his tie.

[@ConnieHatch-zl9fp]

Disgusting that they knew who did it, but it took that long. That has happened so many times. Like get off your ass. Then thise people who have information, spit it out!

[@sidecar7714]

Justice delayed is justice denied 😢

[@leert2698]

There are too many people in this world to choose from to have the mindset that there is only one for you to have. Not to mention that someone that thinks they have some much that they need to spread themselves around, is not the person to settle or strive for. Dang people, if someone is a cheater ( man or woman ) they aren’t worth losing sleep or freedom over. It will hurt but you will get over it. Don’t sell yourself short. Move on and live your life.

[@tapestry6455]

You used to be able to date a lot of people before settling down. Now its expected to choose one even before an engagement or they are labeled a cheater. Cheating happens after marriage not before!

[@TypeHoeNegative]

@@tapestry6455what? if you’re in a relationship, you don’t date other people. you can cheat on someone when you’re in a relationship and not married.

[@rev.valeriehamann4049]

She will still face God

[@BeachsideHank]

Ganesha will judge her fairly.

[@wwefanaccount7838]

He's not real

[@raymondhoagland4976]

Fighting for the love of one man, death triangle ! Glad they finally found her guilty !

[@garyowen9044]

They didn’t mention what took so long. Did I miss something?

[@jmspegel]

It drives me bonkers guilty murderers go through a cost of a trial. You knew you did I it, plea yourself a deal.

[@jamiegallier2106]

Poor daughter. Ridiculous the crime went unsolved and unpunished for so long.

[@lindagerman1782]

Awesome work!

[@lemmdus2119]

The evidence MUST BE good enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Circumstantial evidence can help but it’s up to the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt

[@eprofessio]

Circumstantial evidence is my least favorite. They put a lady in prison over a boot and a grudge. Our society has gone literally insane.

[@melissagray8138]

I’m glad there’s going to be a little justice, but she still got to live a full life after her psychotic and evil actions. My heart breaks for the daughter. It’s not her fault she was only a kid, but I can understand how she feels. I would feel the exact same way. I can’t imagine taking a woman’s life over this guy that’s not particularly good looking and he’s a cheater I mean come on he’s not worth it.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

She has a lovely, innocent face though

[@bretthewitt3890]

So they had all this info for years, but reasons prevented them from prosecution, but NOW it's different. Fishy.

[@nealmcbaggins127]

A life sentence huh... so what, 2, 3 weeks?

[@starladunn9326]

Life for an 81 year old...come on.. this lady won't live another 5... These sentences by these courts are stupid.. our justice system is broken.

[@katelaloba8243]

How on earth do you murder someone then go on and live your life like you didn't kill someone. Horrifying

[@heatherfellows2675]

Why now?. You had the evidence all along! Bad bad investigation work!

[@gregchamberlain4327]

Wow

[@djgreen1620]

Prayers for all involved…Godspeed.

[@francisebbecke2727]

As my Army drill sergeant said, "Sooner or later it all comes around."

[@BanFamilyVlogging]

So in other words, it was shoddy detective work the first time around

[@tinkerstrade3553]

I'm in my 70s, and truthfully, a life sentence would not be a deterrent at this point. Which should be a word to the wise for thugs who prey on seniors. But she wasn't a senior citizen forty years ago, the system failed then. Now, every time you see a blue haired, bingo beauty, you'll have to ask yourself how many kills Granny has gotten in the "War of the Sexes"? Because everybody has a back trail full of secrets.

[@joeyadron1496]

I laughed when they said this happened in a time when camera surveillance wasn't around yet. What difference does it make. We see videos everyday of someone killing another person, and nothing happens to them. Our "justice" system is pathetic!

[@kaycampbell8532]

Her eyes are extremely creepy.

[@colonelkurtz2269]

She looks like the Emperor in Star Wars

[@StevenLee-y3t]

😂😂😂😂 Vocation time RR

[@Barnabas45]

To little to late!

[@JK-lp6uw]

Another chronic whiner.

[@douglasscott5623]

3:48 obviously a man :33 obviously a SMH

[@leohorishny9561]

Horsewomen can be that nuts.🤨

[@mikekellum6238]

Tired of hearing “ since the crime occurred when the sentencing rules were such and I have to abide by that” BS. It should be simple. If the convicted avoided facing justice until some other time, they suffer whatever the sentencing rules are when they are convicted, not when the crime occurred.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

Eh no. We have rules for this sort of thing.

[@mikekellum6238]

@@i.ehrenfest349 change the rule.

[@DanielHill-fc3wd]

She is elegable for parole in 25 yr

[@PALM311]

At 81 years old, they were going to give her the electric chair but they were afraid it was going to “restart”her heart!

[@ReginaRedding]

Wow😳that's really dark🖤🖤

[@RossellaPerry]

How could she continue her life for 38 years knowing what she did and a child lost its mother ?

[@WWG1WWGA]

😂😂

[@kimlandefeld3005]

WHY did it take so long to prosecute her? Maybe they didn't care enough . . . . .

[@pannamal5182]

Didn’t know what I was looking at

[@DorcasLandry]

Is that man’s jacket on moderator?

[@nickvasco2135]

She got away with it 😂. No point in jailing her .

[@kathysharpe7339]

To it's core.

[@juliepiemonte3268]

Rachael Maddog is doing local news now?

[@douglasscott5623]

:33 WTF?

[@Any-Okra]

So Mary Joe got away with it for 40 years and now will spend life in pruson. That should be about 10 minutes,hello shes 81.

[@genbunin5376]

Please the rest of her life…..she’s already 81. She doesn't have that much longer. So the sentence is a joke. She got away with a heinous crime pure and simple. Now If she were 20 years old then yes, it would be the rest of her life. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤬🤬🤬

[@DorcasLandry]

No phone traced in 1985

[@HawklordLI]

Why does that reported have a bird's nest on her head?

[@nv1493]

Room, board, and medical provided.

[@emiilyjaane7]

The rest of her life ? 6months-1yrs tops. If the homicide unit did their jobs like they should she could have actually spent her life in prison.

[@carolcole570]

The “ Voice “ does not match up with “ the reporter “. NOT AT ALL !

[@AmusedChild]

He doesn't seem like all that much. I'm glad they finally convicted the bitter woman.

[@Justine-ut8ho]

I’m into this anchor.