Jayme Closs' Kidnapper Pleads Guilty to Spare Teen From Trial

Jake Patterson, the man accused of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents, pleaded guilty to the charges against him Wednesday, making good on his promise to spare his victim from having to testify at a trial. 

In a letter released earlier this month, Patterson, 21, told a KARE-TV reporter about his plans to plead guilty.

“I knew when I was caught (which I thought would happen a lot sooner) I wouldn’t fight anything,” Patterson wrote, apparently taking issue with investigators’ need to speak with Closs after she escaped.

“I tried to give them everything … so they didn’t have to interview Jayme. They did anyways and hurt her more for no reason.”

Patterson was charged in January with two counts of homicide and one count of kidnapping after authorities said 13-year-old Closs miraculously escaped his rural cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin, following 88 days in captivity. 

Before his arrest, Patterson was not on police’s radar.

“It’s not black and white,” Patterson wrote of his motive in abducting Closs, but he declined to provide further details. “It was really stupid though looking back."

He added: “... This was mostly on impulse. I don’t think like a serial killer … At the time I was really pissed. I didn’t ‘want’ to."

Patterson faces two mandatory life sentences for the murder of Jayme's parents, as well as an additional 40 years on the kidnapping charge. 

Two weeks ago, in a call to reporter Jennifer Mayerle, Patterson said he still has feelings for Closs. 

"I love her," he said.

Patterson's sentencing is scheduled for May 24.

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