Elderly Woman Charged with Killing Her Baby 54 Years Ago
A Wisconsin woman is scheduled to appear in a Sheboygan courtroom for a preliminary hearing today on charges that she killed her 7-month-old daughter 54 years ago.
Ruby Klokow, 74, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her daughter Jeaneen, WHBL.com reports. Police say Klokow told them she threw the baby on the couch, but the child bounced off and hit the ground, the Associated Press reports.
Police reopened the case after Klokow’s son came forward and said his mother had regularly abused him as a child. He claimed his mother had broken his arm and nose and had kicked him in the knees so often that he still has problems. He also alleged his mother had hit the toes of his mentally challenged younger brother with a hammer.
Klokow’s sister, Judith Post, told AP that she once saw Klokow toss baby Jeaneen to Klokow’s husband, who made no effort to catch the child. “I blame both of them,” she said.
Klokow’s attorney, Kirk Obear, said he questions the circumstances surrounding the questioning of his client. She has difficulty remembering things from that long ago, he told AP. “She’s very worried. I think she’s confused about why this is happening at this point.”
