Man convicted in Rusk County double homicide sentenced to life in prison
Jul. 26—LADYSMITH — One of the men who pleaded guilty in April to a double homicide that occurred in June 2020 in rural Conrath will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Joseph W. Falk, 19, pleaded guilty in Rusk County Court to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. His partner in the homicides, 22-year-old Adam J. Rosolowski, was also slated to be sentenced Tuesday, but has been delayed after his attorney asked the judge to recuse himself.
The victims were Rosolowski's grandparents: 73-year-old Robert D. Rosolowski and 70-year-old Bonnie M. Rosolowski.
On Tuesday, Rusk County Judge Steven Anderson ordered the life in prison sentence. Falk declined to speak prior to being sentenced, court records show. Restitution in the amount of $47,373 also was requested.
Neither Rusk County District Attorney Annette Barna nor defense attorney Matthew Krische immediately returned calls for comment Tuesday after the sentencing.
Falk had been held on a $500,000 cash bond since his arrest in June 2020, while Rosolowski was held on a $1 million cash bond. Falk withdrew his plea in September 2021 of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and Judge Anderson had planned for a single trial for both men, but the trial was canceled when both men entered guilty pleas in April.
The fatal shooting happened at Robert and Bonnie Rosolowski's home, N2208 Market Road, in rural Conrath on June 6, 2020.
Three people were apprehended: Falk, Adam Rosolowski and a minor, who was considered to be a "getaway driver."
According to the criminal complaint, Rosolowski, Falk and the minor went to Rosolowski's grandparent's house to kill them "because he says they messed up his life." Rosolowski shot his grandmother, while Falk fired shots at both victims.
The Rusk County Sheriff's Office was sent to the home — located 16 miles southeast of Ladysmith — after family members visited the property and discovered the Rosolowskis were dead. The Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory and Department of Justice assisted the Rusk County Sheriff's Office in the investigation.
Adam Rosolowski had led police on a high-speed chase in Price County on June 5, 2020, and was arrested; he was already in jail when his grandparents' bodies were discovered.
Robert Rosolowski served on the board of the town of Marshall and was a volunteer in the Sheldon Fire District.
