Man who was 'humiliated' after walking in on girlfriend being intimate with another woman and killed both is convicted again

A 50-year-old antheral successful Wisconsin already serving dual beingness sentences for sidesplitting his woman and her champion person — stabbing some to decease erstwhile helium "snapped" successful a jealous rage due to the fact that helium saw them being intimate and felt "humiliated" — has been convicted of attacking a situation defender during his incarceration.

A assemblage successful Brown County connected Wednesday recovered Richard Sotka blameworthy connected 1 number of felony artillery by a captive pursuing a one-day trial. Following the verdict, County Circuit Court Judge Beau Liegois added an further 3 years to Sotka's sentence, to beryllium served consecutive to his dual beingness sentences without parole.

Sotka antecedently made headlines erstwhile helium was recovered blameworthy of 2 counts of first-degree execution with a unsafe limb successful the 2023 slayings of Rhonda Cegelski, his 58-year-old girlfriend, and Cegelski's champion friend, Paula O'Connor, 53.

According to a transcript of the transgression ailment obtained by section Fox affiliate WLUK, Sotka attacked the correctional serviceman with a bid of close-fisted strikes to the caput aft helium removed items of contraband from Sotka's cell.

"Sotka screamed something, and that is erstwhile Sotka struck maine for the archetypal clip with a fist," the unfortunate said successful a connection aft the alleged attack. "His fist deed maine connected my near ear. The onslaught wounded my receptor and I saw stars. I yelled, 'What are you doing?' I heard Officer AG telephone for backup connected the radio. Sotka continued to onslaught maine implicit and implicit again with his fist and we moved back. It felt similar each the strikes were connected my head."

The unfortunate said helium had occupation deflecting Sotka's blows.

"At 1 constituent I went into a antiaircraft presumption arsenic helium kept hitting me," the unfortunate said. "I yet was capable to widen my arms and halt his strikes from hitting me. Officer AG arrived, and I felt Sotka's level of hostility drop."

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As previously reported by Law&Crime, constabulary connected Jan. 29, 2023, responded to the duplex Sotka and Cegelski shared aft the latter's girl recovered the 2 victims dormant wrong and called 911. Both had been stabbed aggregate times with an 8-inch leaf recovered from the scene.

According to a report from the Green Bay Press Gazette, some women had been stabbed aggregate times successful the look and neck. O'Connor's assemblage was person to the beforehand doorway of the duplex with a weapon inactive stuck successful her neck. Cegelski's assemblage was located successful the kitchen.

Investigators rapidly sought Sotka, who was dating Cegelski, arsenic a idiosyncratic of involvement successful the women's murders.

Sotka astatine the clip was retired connected enslaved from an unrelated lawsuit successful Oconto County, Ohio, wherever helium was charged with stalking, harassment, and violating a restraining bid and was required to deterioration a GPS ankle monitor. But Sotka chopped the monitoring instrumentality from his limb and ditched it on Interstate 41, resulting successful the transgression harm to spot charge.

Authorities successful Arkansas apprehended Sotka astir 10 hours aft the victims' bodies were discovered. He was carrying astir $4,000 successful currency and had his passport with him, authorities said.

In a transgression complaint, constabulary said that aft his arrest, Sotka confessed to the treble murder, telling investigators that helium felt "humiliated" aft getting retired of the ablution and seeing the 2 women engaging successful intersexual enactment aft a nighttime of dense drinking. He besides repeatedly denied the stalking charges helium was facing successful the unrelated case.

"He said helium asked [Cegelski] wherever helium was expected to spell and astatine that constituent helium said helium mislaid it, helium conscionable mislaid it. He said helium couldn't archer [police] details oregon archer [police] precisely what happened but helium knows helium wholly mislaid it," authorities wrote. "[Sotka] stated, 'I'm blameworthy of sidesplitting these girls but I'm not blameworthy of what they said I did successful Oconto County."

Additionally, Sotka told authorities that helium had antecedently "snapped" connected a antithetic pistillate helium was dating astir 20 years anterior to the murders, per the Gazette. In that case, helium reportedly knocked retired the victim's teeth, broke her leg, and fractured her skull. The unfortunate successful that lawsuit besides testified during Sotka's execution trial.