Jayme Closs' kidnapper sentenced to life in prison

By Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha and Brian Ries, CNN

Updated 5:20 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019
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3:20 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Jayme Closs on her kidnapper: "He thought that he could own me but he was wrong"

Jayme Closs, in her written statement to the judge, described how she reclaimed her freedom from the man who took it for 88 horrifying days.

"There are some things that Jake Patterson can't take from me. He can't take my freedom. He thought that he could own me but he was wrong. I was smarter," said attorney Chris Gramstrup, who read Jayme's statement on her behalf.

She then explained how she outsmarted him.

"I watched his routine and I took back my freedom. I will always have my freedom and he will not. Jake Patterson can never take away my courage. He thought he could control me, but he couldn't," her statement said.

"I feel like what he did is what a coward would do," the 13-year-old wrote.

3:11 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Jayme's statement: "Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me"

Attorney Chris Gramstrup just read an emotional statement that was written by Jayme Closs.

Here's a portion of her statement:

"Last October, Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me. It makes me the most sad that he took away my mom and my dad. I love my mom and dad very much, and they love me very much. They did all they could to make me happy and protect me.
He took them away from me forever. I felt safe in my home and I love my room and all of my belongings. He took all of that, too. I don't want to even see my home or my stuff because of the memory of that night. My parents and my home were the most important things in my life. He took them away from in a way that will always leave me with a horrifying memory.
I have to have an alarm in the house now just so I can sleep. I used to love to go out with my friends. I love to go to school. I love to dance. He took all of those things away from me, too. It's too hard for me to go out in public. I get scared and I get anxious. These are just ordinary things that anyone like me should be able to do. But I can't because he took them away from me."

Listen:

3:02 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Closs family member: Killer can still talk to his loved ones. We can't.

Jeff Closs asked the judge to "do the right thing" and sentence Jake Patterson to a hefty sentence for killing James and Denise Closs and kidnapping their daughter, Jayme.

Through tears, Jeff said James Closs was "as tough as they come" and would have found a way to defend his family if he had the chance.

“If he could have got his hands on him, would have been different," he said.

Closs said that even in prison Patterson will get to speak to his loved ones — something James Closs can no longer do.

“I wonder how often he gets to talk to his family. We don’t get to talk to him at all — ever again. And we have to live with that," he said.

2:53 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Jayme Closs' cousin to Patterson: "I hope you live the rest of your life dealing with the pain you’ve put my family through"

Lindsey Smith, the niece of James and Denise Closs, called Jake Patterson an "extremely terrible person" in her statement to the judge.

Patterson pleaded guilty to killing the Closses before kidnapping their daughter, Jayme.

Like all the family members who spoke before her at the hearing, Smith asked the judge to give Patterson the maximum sentence.

"I was so very close to my aunt, and now I won't have her at the most important days of my life because of you," she said. "One of the most painful things for me to think about that last moments of my aunt's life were the worst and scariest moments of her life. No one should leave this earth is such a horrible way.

She added: "I hope you live the rest of your life dealing with the pain you’ve put my family through."

2:50 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Jayme's aunt speaks to defendant: My niece "lost everything"

Six families want to speak during today's sentencing, Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright told a judge.

Jayme Closs' aunt Sue Allard was the first family member to speak and opened her remarks by talking directly to the defendant Jake Patterson.

Allard described the phone call she received notifying her about the death of Jayme's parents as well as her niece's kidnapping.

"I fell to the ground and screamed. I was hoping I was just waking up from a nightmare, but later to realize, it was one I lived for 88 days," she said.

She continued: "Jayme lost everything. She must start over, but she has her loving family behind her.”

She asked the judge to give Patterson the maximum sentence.

2:31 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Closs' family is expected to speak during the sentencing

Jayme Closs' relatives will spend a few hours facing her kidnapper today in a Barron County court in northern Wisconsin.

Several Closs family members are expected to give statements, talking about how Jake Patterson's crimes affected them, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said.

What happened: Patterson, authorities say, shot and killed James and Denise Closs early October 15 at their home outside Barron with the intent of kidnapping their only daughter, whom he'd noticed by chance just days earlier at a bus stop.

Authorities say he held Jayme captive in his cabin some 65 miles to the north until January 10, when the middle-schooler escaped and flagged down a woman walking a dog.

She is now living with an aunt and uncle, and has only recently appeared at public events celebrating her.

2:20 p.m. ET, May 24, 2019

Jayme Closs' kidnapper will be sentenced today

Jake Patterson, the man who admitted to kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents, will be sentenced today.

Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of intentional homicide and a count of kidnapping. Each intentional homicide count carries a sentence of up to life in prison; kidnapping carries a term of up to 40 years.

Here's what you need to know about the case:

  • The kidnapping: Patterson decided he wanted to kidnap Jayme in October, after he saw her for the first time while she got onto a school bus, a criminal complaint released by prosecutors says. On October 15, he drove to the family's home and fatally shot Jayme's parents. He then dragged Jayme out to the trunk of his car and drove away.
  • She was held for three months: Patterson drove Jayme to his cabin two counties to the north, near the remote and heavily forested town of Gordon. For three months, police and volunteers across northern Wisconsin searched for her, and detectives chased thousands of tips.
  • How Jayme escaped: On January 10, the unemployed Patterson told Jayme he was leaving for a few hours. That's when she decided to escape. She unlocked the front door and stepped out onto a snowy property, wearing only pajamas and her captor's sneakers. A woman walking her dog saw the girl, who said she needed help. The woman, recognizing Jayme from news accounts of her disappearance, hustled her to the nearest home, where they called 911.
  • Patterson's arrest: He returned to the area and was arrested shortly afterward. Prosecutors said he confessed in detail during an interview after his arrest.