JEFFERSON, Wis. — Elizabeth Durkee, the Fort Atkinson woman who killed her grandmother and set fire to a home while the woman’s body was still inside, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to a pair of charges in the case.
In exchange for guilty pleas on the first-degree homicide and arson charges filed against Durkee, prosecutors dismissed two charges — mutilating a corpse and strangulation and suffocation — from the case.
While a first-degree homicide charge in Wisconsin carries a mandatory life sentence, Durkee will be eligible to request extended supervision after serving 22 years in prison. Durkee’s arson conviction came with a 20-year prison sentence followed by 15 years of extended supervision, both of which will be served simultaneously with her mandatory life sentence.
Durkee had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges in September 2021.
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Durkee was arrested in June 2021 just days after emergency crews responded to a fire in Fort Atkinson. When crews arrived, they found a woman dead inside the home.
According to the complaint filed against her, Durkee allegedly told investigators after her arrest that her grandmother wanted to die because she didn’t want to go back to a nursing home. Durkee also reportedly admitted to putting duct tape over her grandmother’s face and watching her suffocate before leaving her in the home for several days.
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