GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The trial for the 49-year-old Green Bay man accused of a double homicide back in early 2023 is officially underway, with opening statements on Wednesday.
Richard Sotka is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for allegedly killing his girlfriend, Rhonda Cegelski, and her friend, Paula O’Connor, inside Cegelski’s duplex in January 2023.
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Sotka was quickly identified as a person of interest after a witness said Sotka was dating Cegelski. He was arrested in Arkansas on January 29 around 3 p.m. Detectives traveled down to Arkansas and interviewed Sotka.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by Local 5 News, the day the incident happened, Sotka said he got out of the shower and came downstairs to the two women in a ‘comprising position.’ Sotka said that his girlfriend was going to kick him out.
Sotka then allegedly told authorities, “I’m guilty of killing these girls, but I’m not guilty of what they said I did in Oconto County!”
At the trial, prosecutors from the state claimed Sotka’s statement should provide sufficient evidence he murdered both women.
“This is not a case searching for who killed Rhonda and who killed Paula,” said defense attorney Kevin Steuck. “It’s not one of those mystery thrillers where the villain is hiding or there are clues to be dropped.”
Steuck continued to say that Sotka killed Rhonda and Paula, and eventually, he’ll admit the killings were intentional.
Sotka’s attorney argued that in order for the state to sustain a guilty verdict for first-degree intentional homicide, they must prove that the cause of death was with the intent to kill.
“This case will come down to one very simple concept,” added John Herman, Sotka’s defense attorney. “They must prove that at the time these acts were committed, the cause of death was with the intent to kill.”
State prosecutors also added that Sotka lost control, but that is not an excuse for what happened on that specific day.
“This is a story of someone snapping,” explained Steuck. “Getting angry, getting upset, snapping, and losing control. When he did that, he killed two people.”
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Cegelski’s daughter spoke during the trial today and explained the grisly sight of the murder scene, stating she saw her mother in the living room, lying in a pool of blood.
His trial is scheduled to last 8 days.
