In a chilling confession before a federal judge, Outlaws motorcycle gang member James Schneider told the gruesome details of how he and a fellow gang member murdered an elderly McHenry County couple for $15, then laughed when police arrested the couple's son for the crime."We sort of joked about it," Schneider said, according to a transcript of Schneider's statements in court obtained by the Tribune Monday. "We said we could write a book about how to do the perfect murder and not get caught because the son had admitted to it."Schneider's confession in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee was part of a closed-door hearing during which he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges that tied him to the murders of Ruth and Morris Gauger, a Richmond couple found stabbed to death on their farm in April 1993.In pleading guilty, Schneider agreed to testify against 16 fellow Outlaws in an upcoming federal trial in return for a reduced sentence. Details of the plea agreement were released Thursday at a court hearing.

Gary Gauger, 47, was convicted of killing his parents in McHenry County Circuit Court and sentenced to death. Gauger served three years in prison, including eight months on Death Row, until an Illinois Appellate Court overturned his conviction in 1996.One year later, federal authorities indicted 17 Outlaws for a violent Midwest crime spree that included drug-running, murders and bombings in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Schneider, 34, of Lake Geneva, Wis., and fellow Outlaw Randall Miller, 38, of Pell Lake, Wis., were accused in the indictment of killing the Gaugers."I felt vindicated for some time," Gauger said Monday. "But it's finally going public . . . where people are finally seeing someone else did it."According to the transcripts, Schneider said Morris Gauger, 74, and his wife, Ruth, 70, were bludgeoned and slashed to death because the Outlaws believed they had money stashed at their motorcycle shop.Several weeks prior to the murder, according to Schneider, Miller and several Outlaws had stolen $1,000 they found in a paper bag during a visit to the shop."

(Miller) assumed that Mr. Gauger, being so old, that he did not believe in banks, that he just stashed all the money from his motorcycle shop in the house or in the motorcycle shop itself," Schneider said.motorcycle repair escondidoAfter staking out the farm for two nights, the two men decided they would return the next day early in the morning. bobber motorcycle for sale in mnAccording to Schneider, Miller said they should kill the couple so no one could identify them."motorcycle race school laguna secaRandy told me, `I want to have the people separate. I don't want to kill them both together,' " Schneider said.Armed with guns and knives, the two men put gloves on and knocked on the back door of the Gaugers' farm about 6 a.m. Morris Gauger was feeding the chickens.

Schneider said he took Ruth Gauger to a small trailer where the couple sold Indian rugs and trinkets and told her he was looking for a rug for his girlfriend. As they walked to the back of the trailer, Schneider pulled a gun out of the back of his pants and struck Ruth Gauger on the head twice. He pulled out a knife and killed her.Both men went to the shop to find Morris Gauger. Miller demanded money, and told him, "We've got your wife tied up."Morris Gauger held out a little dish that had some money in it, but Miller knocked it to the ground. Holding a gun to his head, Miller took Morris Gauger behind a glass counter out of Schneider's view.Schneider testified he heard "a sound like someone getting hit and then a body falling to the ground."The men then traveled toward Wisconsin on U.S. Highway 12. They stopped at a restaurant in Lake Geneva and used the $15 they stole from the Gaugers for breakfast.After leaving the restaurant, the men pulled off the side of the road and washed the blood off their knives in a puddle.

They drove to nearby Lake Como, cut up their gloves and tossed them in the water, along with the knives."I believe that they had taken the son into custody who lived there also, which we did not know," Schneider said. "At least I did not know about it at the time. He had confessed to the murders. I recall Randy Miller and myself saying, `That's great.' "Schneider said he began to feel guilty about the crime. He couldn't sleep at night."I built up a wall in my mind to block out the memory of what I did to Mrs. Gauger," Schneider said. "I didn't have a whole lot of memories. I didn't dream at night."The wall that I built up in my mind is down. And I do feel--I don't want to say I feel good about it, but I feel better now than I did at the time when the son was in jail."McHenry County State's Atty. Gary Pack, whose office convicted Gary Gauger in 1993, could not be reached for comment. Even after the federal indictment and Schneider's confession, Pack said he was keeping Gauger's case open and contemplating a retrial.

During the trial, Pack claimed Gauger confessed to the crimes after 21 hours of questioning.Gauger's sister, Ginger Gauger Blossom, who believed her brother was innocent all along, said she was infuriated by Pack's decision to keep the case open."Is he just going to keep insisting and digging his hole deeper?" Dark meaning of bubble-gum Pumped Up Kicks is tough to chewNew Owner Demolishes O.j. Simpson MansionTherapists see no developmental benefits from seats Pain relievers: What are the differences?Nicole Simpson's Grisly Death Described To Jury10 reasons why you want the jobFine print: Day codes are M-F=Mon-Fri, S=Sat, U=Sun. Provided as a public service, and also a quick-reference for myself to print out and carry with me :-). None of these links is an endorsement. Ride with your head, not over it.Get an Enhanced Listing.  Your 20 word listing will be used to describe your publication to our readers.  publication will stand out from the rest.  here to get started!