MILWAUKEE — Jordan Fricke,who was accused of shooting and killing Milwaukee Police Officer Matthew Rittner on Feb. 6, was sentenced Thursday to mandatory life in prison without parole.
"The court is going to impose a life sentence without the eligibility of any type of extended supervision," Judge Jeffrey Wagner said. "Because that's what you deserve."
It was a highly emotional day in the courtroom. Those closest to Matthew Rittner had the opportunity to share their feelings about what happened nearly eight months ago and how their lives have changed.
No one was more impacted by everything than Rittner's widow Caroline.
"I just want to wake up from this horrible nightmare, but I never will," Caroline said. "I found out three days after Matt's funeral that I was pregnant with our second child. I was excited because we had been trying, but also so incredibly heartbroken because he never knew and I know how excited he would have been to have more kids."
Caroline shared more about her love for Matt and how it was taken away. The newlyweds had a dream wedding at Miller Park just over two years ago and Thursday marked one year since they moved into their forever home.
"I just wish I could have one more touch or a hug or kiss," Caroline said. "He was my best friend, my love, my life. I don't have a clue of how to go on from here. I feel like an empty soul just breathing to stay alive. It feels like my entire soul has been ripped out of me, stomped on five trillion times and still left empty."
Caroline's brother also spoke in court. He says Feb. 6 shattered their entire family. He says his father eventually lost his job and his mother has stayed with Caroline at her home ever since Matthew was killed. But the most poignant moment was when he shared insight from the grave, of what Officer Rittner would have wanted for Jordan Fricke.
"I told [Matt] I wasn't a fan of the death penalty but thought, if you kill a cop, you deserved it," Alexander Gibbs, Matt Rittner's brother-in-law said. "Matt, without skipping a beat, said, 'It's better that they live the rest of their lives behind bars.' Let's stop here. I want that to sink into the guilty's mind. Matt, in his death, still has control over your life. He preferred that you live. He preferred that you experience prison the rest of your life than be put to death. To the guilty, remember Matt won. He wanted cop killers to spend the rest of their lives in prison and that is where you will rot away."
Fricke, his family and his girlfriend all shared apologetic messages for what had happened. They spoke of his character and motivations in life, saying this was all just a tragic mistake. However, Judge Jeffrey Wagner was very direct in his decision for Fricke to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"The police on that day started to announce their presence at the bottom of the stairway," Wagner said. "When they knocked on the first door, ran upstairs, yelled police, search warrant. Police, search warrant. Police, search warrant, at least eight times. I heard it on the video. You deliberately shot off those rounds of destruction. Everybody has been irrevocably changed because of what you did. Those kids are not going to have their father to watch for them."
It was a decision the family and Rittner's brothers and sisters in blue had hoped for. "Matt's life was snuffed out by poor decisions and a reckless lifestyle by the defendant," Officer Trevor DeBoer, a member of Rittner's Tactical Enforcement Unit said. "His 'woe is me' attitude and unapologetic demeanor has painted a good picture of who Jordan Fricke truly is. Unlike Matt, you're an unproductive menace to society."
"I hate him for what he's done to me and my family," Caroline said. "I will never, ever forgive him and I hope he spends the rest of his life behind bars without any possibility of parole. You would think, someone who has lost a parent would show some sort of remorse but he has shown none. Please, Your Honor, he deserves the maximum penalty for the hell and heartbreak he's put our kids through."
Jurors deliberated for about an hour in July before returning their verdict. Fricke was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, reckless endangering safety of two officers and maintaining a drug trafficking place.
Fricketestified July 12 that he fired in self-defense. Fricke said he thought he heard gunshots before he fired an AK-47 pistol through his door at Officer Rittner.
Rittner was part of a tactical enforcement unit serving a warrant near 12th and Dakota on Feb. 6.
