A Chippewa Falls man will go to prison for the murder of a teenager from Eau Claire. Shane Hawkins, 31, admitted to stabbing 17-year-old Jason Grau to death last February, as Grau slept on Hawkins’ couch, and then dumping the body near the Chippewa River. But Hawkins said he was obeying voices from heaven and that God wanted him to commit murder.
Family members testified that Hawkins had suffered a serious brain injury in a car accident when he was fourteen, and that he was a different person after that. A psychologist told the jury that Hawkins was psychotic and suffered from delusions.
After a 7-day trial, and nearly 6 hours of deliberation Thursday, a jury in nearby Dunn County found that while Hawkins was mentally ill, he could have stopped himself from killing Grau.
Hawkins faces a mandatory life sentence, though the judge could allow for parole. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Dan Lea-WAYY