An 18-year-old man from McHenry is the third person charged in the murder of a 60-year-old man who went missing last year in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
Joshua C. Grimaldi, 18, of the 700 block of Kresswood Drive in McHenry, was arrested on Tuesday by members of the Twin Lakes Police Department.
Grimaldi was charged this month with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.
Two others, Joey L. Miracle, 18, and Thomas R. Wilton, 20, were also charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. They were both arrested in December.
Kenneth Thoma, 60, of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, was reported missing on October 19. His body was located on November 6 behind the apartment building where he lived, according to a criminal complaint.
The medical examiner’s office conducted an autopsy and determined Thoma had been shot in the back of the head.
Grimaldi, the third defendant to be charged in the case, told investigators this month that he was very close with Miracle and Wilton. He initially denied knowing about what happened to Thoma.
Grimaldi said that on October 14, Miracle told him that he (Miracle) would “lure” Thoma outside, take Thoma into the woods and then shoot him because Thoma “touches little girls,” according to the complaint.
Grimaldi admitted that he acted as the lookout during the murder. Grimaldi saw Miracle lure Thoma into the woods and then five minutes later heard a single gunshot, the complaint said.
Wilton then picked up Grimaldi and Miracle and drove them to an unknown location that had a fire pit and they both burned their clothes, the complaint said.
The complaint said that Miracle told his mother that he had to get rid of his gun because “there was this guy raping girls and I had to take care of him.”
Police said they had no record of Thoma being reported for a sexual assault and no one they interviewed in the case was able to provide specific information about it.
In a statement, Twin Lakes police said investigators conducted a comprehensive investigation that included numerous interviews, reviewing 100s of hours of digital evidence and serving several search warrants.
“Investigators used all available resources and partnered with other law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspects in this case,” the statement said.
“Today we are thankful, but there is still work to be done. We hope this news brings a bit of peace to the victim’s families and those affected by these senseless acts,” the statement added.
All three suspects remain held in jail on a $1 million bond each.