Desperate Measures

In the quiet college town of La Crosse, Wisconsin, affluent couple Dennis and Myrna Cola were found shot to death in their home on May 24, 2010, by their son Eric. The killings appeared as a deliberate assassination, with no signs of burglary—wallets, purses, jewelry, and electronics left untouched. Investigators puzzled over the motive in a low-crime neighborhood.

Crime Scene Clues Point to Ambush

Lead investigator John Christofferson noted Dennis, 68, lying face-down in the kitchen in a pool of blood, shot once in the head with a .22-caliber rifle as he entered from the garage. Myrna, a substitute teacher, was slumped at her computer, her left hand on the keyboard, right arm on her knee—suggesting she was comfortable and unaware of the attacker. A forensic computer analysis fixed her last keystroke at 5:41 p.m. on Friday, May 21, three days before discovery; Dennis had left his pharmacy job around 5 p.m. that day. Dresser drawers rifled from bottom to top hinted at someone familiar with the house, not a typical burglar. The scene suggested an ambush by someone known to the couple, lying in wait.