60-year-old Vesper man gets 30 years for stabbing 'best friend' on New Year's Day 2022
WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A 60-year-old Vesper man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison for the New Year's Day stabbing of his friend in 2022.
David D. Kelm also received 10 years of extended supervision to follow his prison sentence for attempted first-degree intentional homicide and aggravated battery, both as domestic abuse incidents.
When given the chance to speak, Kelm started by apologizing to the victim. Kelm said he was dependent on the victim for a place to live, food to eat and transportation to where he needed to go.
"This is just terrible," Kelm said. "My whole life has been like this. Now, I'm losing my best friend."
Kelm said he's been at the Green Bay Correctional Institute and the facility has been on lockdown for three years. He said he has no television, can't work because of the lockdown and his roommate is a heroin addict who is constantly yelling, throwing things and banging his head against the wall.
"It's the most cruel and unusual punishment," Kelm said. "I have nothing."
Wood County Circuit Judge Greg Potter said there is no doubt the community needs to be protected from Kelm. Potter said it was clear from the evidence presented at Kelm's trial in December that the victim would have died, if he hadn't fought so hard to disarm and then get away from Kelm.
According to the criminal complaint, at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, 2022, a caller reported someone with stab wounds was in a road in the village of Vesper. When deputies arrived, they found a 63-year-old Vesper man who accused Kelm of stabbing him.
The man, who said he let Kelm stay with him, had a cut on his neck, a puncture wound in his stomach area and a cut on the palm of his hand, according to the complaint.
At 12:45 a.m. Jan. 1, 2022, deputies tried to get Kelm to leave the home, but he would not come out, according to the complaint. At 3 a.m., they entered the home and found Kelm in a bedroom.
Potter said Kelm had been drinking all day. The victim had made both himself and Kelm dinner when Kelm took the two knives, slashed the victim across the neck and stabbed him in the side before the victim disarmed him.
Potter pointed out that Kelm considered the man his best friend. He asked what would happen if Kelm got angry with a guy in a tavern whom he didn't know.
Potter said Kelm has a long history of criminal convictions, including many felonies and seven drunken driving convictions. Potter said Kelm had been revoked from probation 16 times.
Although Wood County District Attorney Craig Lambert asked for 40 years, Potter said Kelm would be 90 and unlikely a danger to society when he's released. Kelm had credit for 101 days already served.
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The victim said he was in his bedroom about 11:30 p.m. Dec. 31, 2021, when Kelm entered the room carrying two knives and said, "You're going to die (expletive)," according to the complaint. Kelm then slashed the victim across the throat with one of the knives and stabbed him in the left side.
The victim said he grabbed a blanket and tried to wrap it around one of the knives and thought it snapped, as if the blade broke, according to the complaint. Kelm then said something about getting another knife and went into the kitchen.
The victim said he got up and went into the kitchen and saw Kelm at the knife drawer, according to the complaint. The victim said he left the house through the garage.
Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Vesper man gets 30 years for stabbing friend on New Year's Day 2022
