An elderly Sheboygan woman has been sentenced to prison for the death of her infant daughter 56 years ago. Late Tuesday afternoon, Sheboygan County Judge Angela Sutkiewicz sentenced 76-year-old Ruby Klokow to 10 years in the state prison.
Klokow was charged in 2010, after her 57-year-old son James contacted police about his suspicions and the case was reopened. The son told police his mother had often beaten and choked him, and told him he was responsible for his sister Jeaneen’s death.
Klokow pleaded no contest in February to a second-degree murder charge. She was accused of killing her six-month-old daughter in 1957, who investigators determined had suffered two brain hemorrhages, along with a collapsed lung and scalp bruising. The death was originally ruled accidental.
James said no child deserves to put to the death just because someone lost their temper. He added that he was satisfied with the sentence and his sister “got justice.”
AUDIO: James Klokow (:18)
The state and defense had recommended 10 years of probation with 45 days in the county jail. Judge Sutkiewicz, in handing down the prison term, said probation would diminish the seriousness of the crime. Klokow will be eligible for parole in about two years.
Contributed by WHBL radio