Slain officers remembered A monument marks the site in Hobart where a year ago Hobart-Lawrence police officers Robert Etter Jr. and Stephanie Markins died, at the corner of Bay Ridge Court and State 54 (photo by Tina Gohr) Kreuscher's case proceeds to appeal By Jessica La Plante News-Chronicle One year after Tyson Kreuscher rammed his pickup into a Howard/Lawrence police car, killing the two officers inside, the case is far from closed. Colleagues of the slain officers said they are still haunted by memories of the crash as they observe the one-year anniversary of the July 22, 2002, incident today. Meanwhile, lawyers for the 28-year-old killer are getting ready to scrutinize trial transcripts for procedural errors that might lead to an appeal. In March, a Brown County jury convicted Kreuscher on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of officers Stephanie Markins and Robert Etter. Prosecutors said Kreuscher used the squad car as an outlet for his rage by speeding up before he rammed the squad car. Defense attorneys claimed Kreuscher was in the throes of suicidal depression and was unable to control his actions. A public defender asked jurors to find Kreuscher not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Although a jury acknowledged Kreuscher had a mental disorder, they rejected his insanity plea. Last month, Kreuscher was sentenced to serve 50 years in prison for the two deaths, and was order to hang photos of the slain victims on the wall of his prison cell. The judge who sentenced Kreuscher said he didn't want Kreuscher to forget what the community couldn't: That a random act of violence claimed the lives of two model citizens. Dan Van Lanen, an officer with the Hobart/Lawrence police force, said the crash still lingers in the back of his mind. "There hasn't been a day that's gone by that we haven't thought of them or thought of the accident," Van Lanen said. "It doesn't feel like it's been that long." Van Lanen said Etter and his father were good friends who joined the police force in the same year. In 1969, Van Lanen's father launched his career with the Brown County Sheriff's Department while Etter started with the De Pere police force. On the day Etter died, Van Lanen was training alongside the 56-year-old policeman. Van Lanen said both he and Markins, who had recently graduated from technical college, were new hires at the Hobart/Lawrence agency. Just an hour before the crash, it was Van Lanen, and not Markins, who sitting in a squad car next to Etter. Van Lanen said the crash not only robbed him of a good friend and mentor, it stole his sense of security. No longer does Van Lanen feel safe working as a police officer in a small community. "Before, when people talked about police officers getting killed, there was a tendency to think that will never happen," he said. Van Lanen said the most disturbing aspect of the crash was its unprovoked nature. "It wasn't the common way police officers die," he said. "Normally, there's a disturbance involving a weapon." "If you're not safe in a parked car with the windows rolled up and the doors locked, then where are you safe?" he asked. Capt. John Koser of the De Pere Police Department said the anniversary of the slain officers' deaths hasn't escaped the attention of his co-workers. He said Etter spent 30 years at the agency before joining the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department. "(Yesterday), somebody mentioned that tomorrow was the day," Koser said. "It's in the back of some people's minds, but we're all trying to get beyond that." Etter and Markins' fellow officers hope their deaths serve as a reminder to appreciate the sacrifices police officers make. Likewise, the crash should also remind police officers to be equally mindful of the risks they take, Koser said. "I think in some way, shape or form, you do need an occasional reminder to make sure that you're doing your job with a certain level of awareness," Koser said. "Unfortunately, that was one of the nastiest reminders you could ever receive." As for Kreuscher's supporters, their hopes lie in an appeals process that will soon be under way. Timothy Edwards, a Madison attorney, had been asked to handle Kreuscher's appeal by the state public defender's office. Edwards said a notice of appeal has been filed and he has requested transcripts from the trial court. "Once we get the transcripts, we have the right to file a motion for postconviction relief limited to procedural errors," Edwards said. "After that is decided, the appeals process begins." Edwards is a former public defender who runs a private law practice in Madison when he is not teaching courses at the University of Wisconsin. He said an appeal is lengthy process than can take up to a year.