At a hearing Wednesday, 21-year-old Jake Patterson pleaded guilty to the kidnapping of Jayme Closs and the murder of her parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise, 46.
Closs, 13, was taken from her home in Barron County, WI in October and held captive for 88 days before she escaped. Prior to the kidnapping, Closs and her parents had no connection to Patterson.
Patterson was heard saying "bye, Jayme" as he left the courtroom. In a letter he sent to local television station KARE 11 earlier this month, Patterson said that he didn't plan the double murder of Closs' parents. "This was mostly on impulse. I don't think like a serial killer," he wrote to a reporter. "At the time I was really pissed. I didn't 'want' to. The reason I did this is complicated. No one will believe or can even imagine how sorry I am for hurting Jayme this much."
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In large bubble letters, Patterson continued: "I'm sorry Jayme! For everything. I know it doesn't mean much."
In a criminal complaint filed earlier this year he said he watched Closs get on a school bus while he was driving. He told detectives that while he didn’t know who she was or how many people lived at her house, he knew “she was the girl he was going to take.”
Patterson held Closs captive in his remote home in Gordon, WI — about 70 miles from her childhood home. According to the authorities, he reportedly kept Closs under his bed for as long as 12 hours a day without food, water, or bathroom access. Patterson also allegedly hit her at least once. Closs escaped on January 10th when he briefly left the home and was found by a woman who was walking her dog.
Patterson's sentencing is scheduled for May 24.