Crime Junkie is examining the strange murder of Jane Neumann, a young mother of one, who was shot dead in her home in Hudson, Wisconsin. Her murder was initially documented as a suicide, but following a lengthy legal battle, her death was reclassified as a homicide.
Her husband, Jim Neumann, has remained the prime suspect, and a civil lawsuit brought by Jane’s family in 1997 declared he was responsible for his former wife’s death. However, the St. Croix County District Attorney still maintains there is not enough evidence to bring a criminal trial against Neumann.
On November 20, 1993, 30-year-old Jane was killed by a shotgun blast in the mouth. Her husband, Neumann, reported finding the body. He claimed to have returned from work to find the front door had been forced open.
The police were instantly suspicious of Neumann’s story and refused to believe Jane died in a home invasion. Neumann then said Jane had committed suicide and said he only lied to protect Jane’s reputation and that of her family.
According to Neumann, Jane had rigged up a shotgun through a hole in the wall and then wrapped some fishing line around the trigger so she could kill herself. Neumann said he burned her suicide note and threw the shotgun into the St. Croix River. The authorities and the coroner’s office agreed with this version of events.
The victim’s family claimed that Jane was not suicidal and had spent the day she died making plans with her mom for Thanksgiving dinner.
Family of Jane Neumann suspect she was killed by her husband Jim Neumann
Jane’s family hired Hudson attorney Mark Gherty, who has since concluded that Neumann was likely responsible for his wife’s murder. Neumann admits that he initially lied about his wife’s death but insists that does not make him a murderer.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelDuring the civil lawsuit in 1997, evidence emerged that cast doubt on the suicide theory, such as a lack of damage to Jane’s fingers from the fishing line that she supposedly used to pull the trigger.
It also came to light that the Neumanns may have been having some financial difficulties and that Neumann collected £116,000 in life insurance after his wife died. The policy originally had a clause that excluded suicide, but that expired a few days before she died.
In June 1997, 12 jurors in the civil lawsuit concluded that Neumann was responsible for Jane’s death. Nearly half a million dollars was awarded to their son Jonathan to be held in trust until he was 18.
A short time after the lawsuit, the authorities changed the cause of Jane’s death from suicide to homicide. However, the County District Attorney and the Wisconsin Department of Justice agreed there was not enough evidence to prosecute Neumann.
Jane Neumann murder is still an open investigation
In 2018, St. Croix County Chief Deputy Cathy Borgschatz told the press, “It’s still an open investigation. We still get calls on it and we follow up on them.”
In a recent interview, Gherty said, “This is a man who got away with murder. The fact that law enforcement accepted his story is what is so disappointing.”
Neumann has since remarried and had six children with his new wife.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Jane Neumann is available to download now at Crime Junkie.