WAUSAU − A 58-year-old Marathon County man was charged June 4 in the stabbing death of his 57-year-old brother.
Timothy J. Anker, of the town of Norrie in eastern Marathon County, faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide for the death of Thomas J. Anker. Thomas Anker was living with his brother at the time of his death.
Timothy Anker’s attorney, Daniel Repka, asked Marathon County Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill to postpone Timothy Anker’s initial appearance on the homicide charge during an appearance June 4. Repka said he hadn’t had time to go over the criminal complaint with Timothy Anker. O’Neill rescheduled the initial appearance for June 5.
According to the criminal complaint, at 12:33 a.m. April 26, Timothy Anker called 911 and said, “someone got stabbed.” Timothy Anker then told the dispatcher that he had stabbed his brother, according to the complaint.
Deputies arrived on scene in Norrie about 10 minutes later. Timothy Anker opened the door and then ran up the stairs and into a bedroom. Deputies saw Timothy Anker’s hands and forearms were covered in blood, according to the complaint.
When deputies entered the bedroom, Timothy Anker was kneeling over his brother and was performing CPR. Deputies continued CPR until Birnamwood First Responders and SAFER EMS arrived and took over. The lifesaving measures were unsuccessful and Thomas Anker died, according to the complaint.
Deputies noticed that Timothy Anker seemed very calm given the circumstances, according to the complaint. He told officers he didn’t know how the incident started, but at one point he and his brother had a scuffle in the kitchen. Timothy Anker said Thomas Anker pulled Timothy Anker’s necklace off. Timothy Anker said he then went and got a dagger from his room, according to the complaint.
Timothy Anker said he was sitting in a chair in the living room with the dagger between the seat cushions when Thomas Anker came out and said he wanted to fight. Timothy Anker said he pulled the dagger out and pointed it at his brother. Timothy Anker then said his brother lunged at him and onto the dagger, according to the complaint.
Timothy Anker said his brother then went upstairs and told Timothy Anker to call 911 because he needed an ambulance. Timothy Anker said he called 911 right away, according to the complaint.
A Marathon County detective and the medical examiner watched body camera footage from when deputies arrived on the scene. The medical examiner said she saw blood pooling on Thomas Anker’s back when deputies turned him over. She said the pooling would first be visible between 30 minutes and two hours of a person’s death. Deputies were rolling Thomas Anker over about 15 minutes after the phone call, according to the complaint.
A detective reenacted the stabbing with Timothy Anker using a rubber knife several times and each time Timothy Anker put his hand on the detective to stop his forward movement, according to the complaint.
When officers searched the home, they found a bloody knife in a toolbox and a knife block with one knife missing, according to the complaint.
Relatives told detectives that Timothy and Thomas Anker fought often and Timothy was the more angry of the brothers. They said Timothy Anker got angry, belligerent and mean when he drank and he drank a lot, according to the complaint. At one point, Timothy Anker had choked Thomas Anker and crushed his windpipe requiring Thomas Anker to be hospitalized, according to the complaint.
Contact Karen Madden kmadden@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Marathon County man charged in April 26 stabbing death of brother
Reporting by Karen Madden, Wausau Daily Herald / Wausau Daily Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Karen Madden, Wausau Daily Herald | USA TODAY Network
