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Clay Waller Sentenced to 5 Years for Internet Threat

Charl de Souza

April 06^th 2012

Jacque Waller 5k Walk/Run & 1 Mile Family Walk

Proceeds to benefit the Jacque Waller Family Fund.

On June 1, 2011, Jacque Waller left work to pick up her son from her estranged husband, Clay Waller. She was never seen or heard from again.

Spree killers like Anders Breivik are extremely rare. Men who abuse their spouses are not. If you have been abused by your partner there is only one solution.

Leave him, but do not do this alone.

Clay Waller, suspected of murdering his wife Jacque Waller who disappeared ten months ago, was been sentenced in January to five years in prison for threatening his sister-in-law, Cheryl Brenneke, on the website Topix.

Cheryl Brenneke, Jacque Waller’s sister, has been the guardian of Jacque and Clay Waller’s triplets since the disappearance of her sister. Clay Waller threatened her on Topix using a borrowed computer to appear anonymous.

Clay Waller’s lawyer Scott Reynolds was hoping that he would get a 10 months sentence and credit for time already served, but the prosecution convinced Judge Stephen Limbaugh that it had not been an idle threat. The judge agreed with this and imposed a five-year sentence, the maximum possible for that crime.

U.S. Assistant Attorney Larry Ferrell argued Waller's threat to his sister-in-law was seriously intended. The prosecutor sentence on Clay to give Waller the maximum federal prison sentence for that charge by telling the judge that threat to Jacque Waller's sister was serious. he also presented new evidence showing how Waller had two protection orders against him from two other women. One of those orders was from 1993, the other more recently, in July 2011, shortly after his wife's disappearance.

The evidence presented convinced the judge that Clay Waller is a dangerous individual. Judge Limbaugh told the court during sentencing that he believes Clay Waller killed his wife and is a dangerous man.

Clay Waller pleaded guilty in October 2011, to threatening to kill Jacque’s sister, Cheryl Brenneke on Topix.

Only one witness was called to the stand, the victim Cheryl Brenneke.

Brenneke described the fear she lived with until he was arrested, wondering every day if he would hunt her down. She said that when she first saw the threat, she immediately grabbed the children and went to a friend’s house which Clay Waller did not know about and remained there until her husband came home.

If Clay Waller remains on his best behavior while behind bars, he can expect to be released around New Year 2016, with credit for federal time served.

The prosecutor, U.S. Assistant Attorney Larry Ferrell said, “This is such a unique case and quite unlike any I've ever prosecuted.”

Waller’s lawyer Scott Reynolds has appealed against the 5 years sentence as he says Clay Waller has as yet not been found guilty of murdering his wife.

Although no murder charges have been filed yet by the state against Clay Waller, Judge Limbaugh, said before passing sentence on Waller, “The court finds that based on preponderance, you did murder Jacque Waller.”

Waller’s lawyer, Scott Reynolds, submitted a motion in March to dismiss the case Waller is facing, for theft and harassment, on the grounds that Waller is in prison on federal charges, and therefore cannot get a early trial. A judge has denied this request in the beginning of April, so Waller's trial in the state court has to wait until he finishes his prison term.

Although searches are still ongoing, no further trace of Jacque Waller has been found. Waller still denies involvement in her disappearance.

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