Elizabeth Durkee — the 36-year-old Fort Atkinson woman accused of first-degree intentional homicide, strangulation, arson and mutilating a corpse after the body of her grandmother was discovered in a house on Foster Street — has waived her right to a preliminary hearing and will be arraigned before the Jefferson County Circuit Court on Sept. 21.
After accepting her waiver, the court bound Durkee over for trial. The court has also appointed Amber K. Rumpf and Joseph Ricker as public defenders for Durkee. Both were in attendance during a court appearance made by Durkee on Aug. 6.
Durkee remains in custody after the court required a $1 million cash bond set on June 15.
Durkee was taken into custody on June 12, after law enforcement agencies received a tip that she and her then 2-year-old daughter were staying at a motel in Delavan. Law enforcement agencies began looking for Durkee after she allegedly fled the scene of what authorities have alleged was a set house fire. The tip came shortly after the Wisconsin Department of Justice had issued an AMBER alert for Durkee’s daughter, believing the child was in “great danger” according to the alert.
Charges against Durkee stem from activities that took place in early June, which led to authorities discovering a body in a home in the 400 block of Foster Street. Durkee, according to a criminal complaint, lived in the home with her grandmother.
The deceased was determined by authorities to be Durkee’s grandmother, whom, Durkee later told police, according to the criminal complaint, had asked her to help her end her life.
In the complaint, Durkee described events which allegedly led to the death of her grandmother, followed by a fire, which ravaged the Foster Street house on June 11.
If convicted of the charges, Durkee faces the possibility of life in prison.
An earlier story, including information provided through the criminal complaint, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/homicide-defendant-alleges-grandmothers-death-was-mercy-killing/.
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