MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The state denied parole to Keith Kutska, the last of six men still in prison for the 1992 murder of paper worker Tom Monfils.
Kutska’s review was held last month, with the parole commissioner’s recommendation denying parole. That suggestion was upheld by the Parole Commission Chairman, the state Dept. of Corrections told FOX 11 Monday.
Kutska, 70, may next request a parole review in January.
Kutska had satisfied the conduct requirement, but that the programming, risk reduction, time served, and release plan requirements remained unmet. Also, the state noted a need for transition from his medium-security housing to a minimum-security site first – but that has not been scheduled.
Monfils was found dead in the bottom of a pulp vat at the then-James River mill on Green Bay’s east side. Six men — Kutska, Dale Basten, Michael Johnson, Michael Piaskowski, Rey Moore, and Michael Hirn — were convicted after a joint trial. All were sentenced to life in prison, with a variety of parole dates.
A federal judge overturned Piaskowski’s conviction in 2001. The other four were paroled in recent years, leaving just Kutska in prison. He is currently housed at the Jackson Correctional Institution, state records show.
It was Kutska’s theft of an extension cord — reported by Monfils — which triggered the sequence of events that led to the murder, according to prosecutors. However, all six men have maintained their innocence.
