Jacob Cayer Trial - Surviving Victim Joel Kennedy's Testimony

Wisconsin man Jacob Cayer, 30, is on trial in the June 7, 2016 murders of his ex-girlfriend Sabrina Teague, 23, and her mother Heesun “Sunny” Teague, 64.

The defendant allegedly told authorities he got into a fight with his father, went to his ex’s home, broke in, and attacked Heesun Teague in the bathroom, according to WBAY. He ambushed Sabrina Teague and her boyfriend Joel Kennedy when they got to the residence, authorities said. Kennedy was stabbed, but survived, hit the defendant in the head with a shovel, then called 911, authorities said. The Teagues died from fatal stab wounds, however.

Sabrina’s sister Sarama Teague remembered the women as “more than the ex-girlfriend and the mother.” She told The Green Bay Press Gazette, “They were fully complex human beings, beautiful people, and I just want people to know that, and that I loved them.”

Their mother Sunny was a character, who arrived in the United States from SOuth Korea in 1983, was proud of her barbecue chicken, had a quirky way of posing for pictures, and enjoyed telling the girls gossip about her Post Office coworkers, Sarama said. Heesun Teague had recently retired from USPS at the time of the murders.

Sabrina was going to start school at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to become a social worker, her sister said. She dreamed of starting a half-way house.

“One of her dreams was opening a halfway house for troubled teens that didn’t have supportive homes,” Sarama said. “She believed nobody should ever suffer alone, and she was there for everybody.”

Cayer has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect. It wasn’t necessarily the first choice of defense. In March, Brown County Judge Tammy Jo Hock denied a defense motions’ request to allow them to provide alternate suspects. They wanted to argue at trial that two other men kidnapped Cayer and framed him for the murders, according to WLUK. In the this version of events, the alleged motive was that these killers feared what Cayer might tell cops about other crimes. Hock said this motion lacked logic, and pointed out one of the alternate suspects were in jail at the time of the Teague murders.

Records viewed by Law&Crime show Cayer’s defense recently issued another motion to admit evidence of third-party guilt. Once again, this was before Hock.

The defendant’s mental state was certainly a recurring element in the pre-trial hearings. The trial was delayed six times as the judge occasionally considered him incompetent to face the allegations against him. Dr. Christina Engen of the Wisconsin Forensic Unit had testified that she did not think Cayer understood the gravity of this case. The defendant thought he was going to be found innocent, and was “gleeful” when talking about the case, she said according to WBAY.

Records show Cayer is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, burglary, and two counts of bail jumping.

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