SAWYER COUNTY -- (DrydenWire.com) -- The Court has sentenced Mari Isham, of Hayward, WI, for the 2020 homicide of her husband, Justin Coles, in Sawyer County.
On November 5, 2020, the City of Hayward Police Department responded to a 911 call at 15503 Davis Avenue Apartment C in the City of Hayward. Mari Isham had called 911 to report that her husband, Justin Coles, would not wake up and it was unknown if he was breathing.
An autopsy was requested and completed on Coles, and the Medical Examiner's preliminary report noted blunt force injuries and evidence of strangulation. Isham was taken into custody on a hold by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole.
Following the subsequent investigation into the death of Coles, charges of Class D Felony 2nd Degree Reckless Homicide were filed against Isham.
A criminal complaint filed in Sawyer County Circuit Court states that Isham gave investigators various versions of what had occurred in the hours prior to Coles’ death. Isham also gave contradicting explanations regarding the various injuries found on Coles’ body.
Other residents of the apartment building where the death occurred stating that they heard sounds of arguing in the hours prior to the 911 call as well as sounds like furniture being moved, “hard stepping”, and loud thumps. At least one resident recalled hearing screaming in the minutes prior to the 911 call.
At a hearing in September 2021, Isham entered a plea of No Contest to her charges of 2nd Degree Reckless Homicide. The Court accepted her plea and found her Guilty.
Isham appeared for a sentencing hearing on January 3, 2022. The Court ordered a 10-year sentence. Isham is to serve 4 years of initial confinement followed by 6 years of extended supervision, with credit for 424 days already served, according to online circuit court records. Isham will be eligible for Challenge Incarceration Program and Substance Abuse Program.
The Court also sentenced Isham regarding two prior Sawyer County Court cases for which her probation was revoked. She received a sentence of 8 years for a conviction of Class F Felony, Interfere with Custody Beyond Visitation; 4 years initial confinement followed by 4 years of extended supervision. Isham also received a sentence of 12 months confinement in county jail for a conviction of Class I Felony Possession of Methamphetamine. Isham is to serve the revocation sentences concurrently with her new sentence.
Last Update: Jan 04, 2022 6:33 pm CST
