WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Henry West will never walk free again.
The man who shot and killed Patty Grimm, his former boss in the Pine Grove Cemetery in October of 2019 was handed a life sentence without parole Tuesday for the incident.
The sentence was part of a deal that saw West enter a no contest plea earlier this year to avoid trial. He did attempt to withdraw that plea last month, but the request was denied.
West was also given consecutive sentences for other charges including attempted first-degree homicide for injuring two other cemetery employees, William Buhse and Rosemelia Short, along with charges of attempted arson. Those points are moot given the parameters of the sentence for homicide.
Just before the shooting West also rigged his Schofield apartment to explode with booby traps and by altering a natural gas line. Investigators say had the contraptions gone off as designed, the resulting explosion could have killed or injured hundreds more.
West was described as a disgruntled former employee of the cemetery. According to his former co-workers, police were called in to provide security on the day he was let go because there was concern about how he would take the news.
He was also in the process of being evicted from his apartment at the time of the shooting.
West has also been ordered to have no contact with the victims or employees of the cemetery during his incarceration. Tuesday’s sentencing hearing lasted about 2.5 hours and included victim impact statements.
