A Wisconsin woman, Tracey Clark, 57, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison following the discovery of her roommate’s dismembered remains. The remains of Dennis Schattie, 79, were found wrapped in a plastic tarp, along with financial documents indicating that Clark was the beneficiary of Schattie’s annuity account. Clark pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree reckless homicide.
The sentencing took place on Tuesday, with Clark’s boyfriend, Brandon Gaston, 48, set to face trial in March. Gaston is accused of carrying out the gruesome act. Eau Claire County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Ronquist detailed the horrific scene, stating that Gaston used a knife to dismember Schattie.
Ronquist painted a picture of Schattie as a kind and caring individual who had a close relationship with Clark. She expressed her disappointment in Clark’s involvement in the crime, stating that Clark had allowed Schattie to be brutally murdered in his own home, a place where he should have felt safe.
Clark expressed remorse in court, acknowledging that Schattie was a good man who did not deserve such a fate. She described him as kind and understanding.
The dismembered remains were discovered on April 12, 2022, near a dam in the Rock River in Rockford, Illinois. According to a criminal complaint cited by local ABC affiliate WQOW, the remains were wrapped in a tarp, along with Schattie’s dentures, which had his name stamped on them. The body appeared to have been cut with a saw and burned in several places.
Investigations revealed that Schattie had been killed at the home he shared with Clark and Gaston in Altoona, Wisconsin, approximately 250 miles north of where his body was found. Clark confessed to her involvement in the crime, stating that Gaston had struck Schattie on the head with a hammer, sexually assaulted her, and forced her to move the body to the garage for dismemberment. Clark admitted to disposing of Schattie’s head in the Rock River.