Wisconsin Man Accused of Choking Wife to Death at Police Station

By Erin Peterson

Police in Fox Lake, WI arrested a man after they found his wife beaten and choked to death in the entrance of the police station. Jeffrey Asbury, 40, of Fond du Lac was charged with first-degree murder as well as one felony count of eluding an officer. This is the first murder in Fox Lake in 20 years.

Police say that Sherry Asbury, 35, died on Sunday from strangulation and blunt-force trauma to the head and chest.

Prosecutors say that Jeffrey and Sherry were separated in January. Asbury may have been upset with his wife who was reportedly seeing someone else. Reports from a complaint earlier in the month claim that he called his wife 10 to 20 times threatening to kill her, his children, and his in-laws.

A witness claims to have seen Asbury ram his car into another vehicle driven by his wife. Asbury’s wife then stopped in the parking lot of the building housing the police department and ran inside with Asbury chasing after. The witness called 911 but by the time an officer arrived Asbury was already walking back to his car with Sherry no where in sight.

Officer James Perkins was forced to use his Taser on Asbury after he failed to cooperate with Perkins. Asbury then got away from Perkins and drove his car for about a mile before running off the road. Perkins was then able to apprehend Asbury. The complaint report claims that Asbury told the officer, "I think she’s dead."

Asbury is also quoted as saying, "I know I did it. I don’t know how I did it, but I know I did it. There was nobody else around." There was also blood on his hands when officers arrested him.

Sherry Asbury’s body was found in the lobby of the Fox Lake Municipal Building and transported to the hospital where she was announced dead on arrival.

Officials do not know if Sherry Asbury was trying to reach the police department when she entered the Municipal Building. While the lobby is always open, the six-officer police department is rarely occupied. Sherry Asbury would have had to use the pay phone to place a 911 call from inside the building.

Calls placed to the Fox Lake police department are routed through the Dodge County Central Dispatch center and then relayed to police or sheriff’s deputies.

Court Commissioner Steve Seim expressed his disgust for the crime by stating, "That this crime was committed at the police department shows a disregard for the legal system." He also adds, "He [Asbury] allegedly admitted to the crime and there was blood on his hands at the time of the arrest."

Under Seim’s order, Asbury will be held on a $400,000 cash bond. He could face a maximum penalty of life plus 3 ½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.