Neenah teen gets life in prison for strangling his father to death

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Zach Reid of Neenah has been sentenced to life in prison for strangling his father to death, and his first chance of freedom will come in 40 years.

Winnebago County Circuit Judge Scott Woldt agreed Monday to let the 17-year-old Reid petition for a supervised release starting in 2049, when he’ll be older than the man he killed.

Reid claimed that his father was coming at him with a knife when he strangled him in self-defense last October, during an argument about his being grounded.

He said he panicked – and that’s why he didn’t call police when he threw his father’s body in a car, and left it outside a school in Neenah.

A pre-sentence investigation showed that Reid’s claim was “unbelievable.”

District Attorney Christian Gossett agreed, and wanted Reid locked up for life with no chance of release. H

His mother and his 19-year-old sister both asked for leniency, saying he needs counseling to get over a long history of abuse from his father.

Reid’s mother has promised an appeal, and says she’ll go all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

In her words, “It’s not over.”

Tags: wisconsin, neenah, crime, courts, strangulation, father, abuse