A Wisconsin man was sentenced in federal court Nov. 10 to the maximum possible sentence for what United States District Court Judge William Griesbach described as a “brutal beating” of Cloud’s then-girlfriend in 2024.
Nee Gee Cloud, 33, was convicted by a federal jury Aug. 6 of burglary and assault with intent to murder. Griesbach sentenced Cloud on Nov. 10 to a total of 30 years in prison, a result of Griesbach delivering the maximum sentence for each charge and running them consecutively.
Cloud was also ordered to pay a total of $2,004.30 in restitution.
On Sept. 20, 2024, the owner of a home in Neopit that Cloud was staying at saw Cloud “violently assaulting” his girlfriend on security cameras after the owner received several notifications from their home security system, according to a criminal complaint. Footage showed a “prolonged assault,” the complaint said, with Cloud leaving and reentering a bedroom multiple times over 20 minutes to punch, kick and stomp on the victim.
The victim was hospitalized for almost a month and spent two weeks in the intensive care unit, according to an Aug. 11 U.S. Department of Justice news release. She sustained orbital bone fractures and soft tissue injuries to her throat that required intubation to prevent her airway from closing, the release said.
Griesbach and Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Maier said without medical intervention, they believe the victim would have died. Griesbach described the attack, which he watched during Cloud’s jury trial, as brutal, savage and horrible.
“Most of the murders we see are with a gun or a knife, not with one’s bare hands. To beat someone this savagely with one’s bare hands requires not just pulling the trigger finger or the thrust of a knife,” Griesbach said. “This is the kind of treatment that were it done to an animal, people would be shocked, but this was a human being.”
Defense argues maximum sentence is ‘greater than necessary’
After Maier recommended the maximum sentence of 30 years, Cloud’s attorney Thomas Phillip said it would be “greater than necessary.”
“We do have a brutal and a gruesome assault, but it’s an assault, not a murder,” Phillip said. “So a sentence less than the maximum can be sufficient.”
Phillips said Cloud had no positive role models growing up “for sobriety or following the law or healthy relationships.” Because of that, he said, it’s not surprising Cloud has a history with crime, drugs, alcohol and mental health issues.
After becoming sober while in jail, Phillips said Cloud realized two patterns in his life that he wanted to change: he was intoxicated whenever he committed crimes and he “becomes abusive” when dealing with difficulties in relationships.
“He wants to try to figure out how to break that cycle, to not keep doing the same things over and over,” Phillips said. “Not only because it’s good for him to stop doing the same thing over and over, but that he wouldn’t treat other people the same way in the future.”
In his own statement to the court, Cloud said “this whole ordeal” opened his eyes and apologized.
‘Actions speak louder than words’
Griesbach said an aggravating factor against Cloud was his criminal history. Seven of Cloud’s past convictions involved physical violence, Griesbach said, with several cases involving domestic violence.
Cloud’s past crimes also displayed “savage violence,” Griesbach said, including bending a woman’s toe backward until it broke, biting a woman’s fingers and pulling a woman around the house by her hair. In the past, Cloud has been placed on probation, extended supervision and given shorter prison sentences, which Griesbach said seems to not have impacted him.
Instead, Griesbach said, it appears Cloud has escalated. Griesbach said Cloud’s history indicates he is a “severe danger” to the public.
“I am hearing words of remorse today, ‘I’m sorry for what I did,'” Griesbach said. “But, actions speak louder than words and the actions over the past 12 to 13 years of the defendant’s speak very loudly today. And the message they speak is this man is a danger, a danger to others, particularly to women.”
Griesbach was also bothered by Cloud’s apparent lack of motive. When asked by Griesbach if the defense wished to provide any information pointing towards a motive, Phillips said, “No, thank you.”
“This seems to be a wanton infliction of brutality, extreme brutality,” Griesbach said. “An effort to actually kill someone with your bare hands for no apparent reason. Not that a reason would be understandable, but at least to understand why someone would do this to a human being.”
Griesbach sentenced Cloud to a total of 30 years in prison followed by three years of extended supervision, the maximum term allowed by law.
Vivian Barrett is the public safety reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at vmbarrett@greenbay.gannett.com or (920) 431-8314.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin man given maximum sentence in federal court for 2024 ‘brutal beating’ of girlfriend
Reporting by Vivian Barrett, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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