Suicide victim was murder suspect

NEW RICHMOND - The victim of an apparent suicide Thursday was a suspect in the shooting death of a 17-year-old Turtle Lake High School student last August.

The Polk County Sheriff's authorities said Tuesday the shooting death of Jason B. Renspe, a first semester freshman at UW-River Falls last fall, is being investigated as a possible suicide by the St. Croix County Medical Examiner's office.

Renspe's body was found as police carried out a search of his New Richmond home.

Renspe, who attended school at UW-RF and lived at Prucha Hall, apparently shot himself shortly before his home was searched by police officers. He was a business major at the university but did not re-enroll for this semester.

According to Polk County Chief Deputy Steven B. Moe, Renspe was a suspect in two burglary cases and in the death of 17-year-old Erik Kraemer after authorities in Balsam Lake received information on the three incidents early last week.

Kraemer was an honors high school student who would have been a senior this year at Turtle Lake High School. He was shot to death while jogging near his Pipe Lake home Aug. 7.

Before the warrant could be executed, New Richmond Police Department received word that Renspe had been found dead by a family member.

New Richmond police did find at least one note at the Renspe home that may be connected to the Kraemer homicide, but Moe declined to discuss the details.

"It has some interest to us, but the note and its contents are being investigated by the New Richmond Police Department," he said.

Moe declined to comment on what kind of weapon was used in Kraemer's shooting.

He said that his department and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation have been involved in the Kraemer case.

According to Sgt. Gary Paquin of the New Richmond Police Department, the written note was turned over to the St. Croix County Medical Examiner along with other information collected at the Renspe home.

St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said Monday that deputies were on their way to assist in Renspe's arrest when word of his death was announced.

"We stood by and assisted New Richmond at the scene," he said.

Hillstead said that Renspe had no arrest record in St. Croix County.