The first of two Sheboygan teenagers convicted for his role in the robbery and murder of his 78-year-old great-grandmother received a mandatory life prison sentence on Monday. Because of 14-year-old Antonio Barbeau’s age he was also given a minimum eligibility date for supervised release. He’ll be eligible for that release in 2048, the date agreed upon by both the prosecution and defense when Barbeau pleaded no contest in June to first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Barbara Olson.
Barbeau’s 14-year-old friend Nathan Paape will be sentenced Tuesday. The Sheboygan Press reported that Paape’s attorneys alleged that killing Olson was Barbeau’s idea, as he was a runaway and needed money. They said that Paape thought it was a joke and never thought they’d actually go through with it. Barbeau has testified that the two hatched the plan together.
Barbeau admitted on the witness stand that he and Pappe went to Olson’s Sheboygan Falls home last September 17th to get money, and that they would use force if they had to. The pair got took $150 after killing Olson with a hammer and a hatchet. Barbeau apologized in Circuit Court Judge Timothy Van Akkeren’s courtroom Monday, and asked for forgiveness.