By Heather Schaefer - Regional Editor

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Two Rhinelander teens have been charged in connection with the murder of a Tomahawk woman in April of 2006 while a Rhinelander man accused of participating in the same murder has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Katie L. Decker, 17, and Heather Ward, 19, were charged Friday with felony murder, as party to the crime, in connection with the death of Tracy Maurer. Following an initial appearance in Lincoln County Circuit Court Friday they are being held in the Lincoln County jail on $100,000 cash bail.

Seth Louis, 25, who is charged with the first degree intentional homicide of Maurer, has reached an agreement with prosecutors resolving his case. According to computerized court records, Louis is scheduled to enter his plea Oct. 16.

Maurer, 42, was found dead in her home at 211 W. Merrill Ave. in Tomahawk the morning of April 6, 2006.

Louis was taken into custody more than a week after Maurer's body was discovered, when a citizen witness came forward and told police Decker, Louis’s girlfriend at the time, was keeping a bag of his bloody clothes under her bed. The blood on the clothes has been positively identified as Maurer's.

Decker was charged in Oneida County with harboring a felon. She has entered a not guilty plea in that case and is seeking to have statements suppressed.

Back in 2006, Ward testified during a preliminary hearing that she drove Louis from Rhinelander to Tomahawk the night of the murder. She claimed she sat in the car while Louis went into to Maurer’s residence and did not know what he planned to do there. She testified she drove a “jittery” and bloody Louis back to Rhinelander after he left the Maurer residence.

Louis and Maurer worked together at the Taco John’s Restaurant in Rhinelander. According to a criminal complaint, police believe Louis may have killed Maurer over money he was owed for a computer.

Louis has admitted to being at the scene but has said an accomplice killed Maurer. The alleged accomplice has not been publicly identified.

Louis is also facing burglary charges in Oneida County.

On July 3, he was charged with breaking into the Lincoln Street coffee shop, Coffee Beans Etc., and the Garden of Eatin’ a now defunct restaurant that was located on Brown Street in Rhinelander. Both burglaries, as well as an alleged attempted burglary of Coffee Beans, allegedly took place in late 2006 and early 2007.

Louis is being held in the Lincoln County jail on $500,000 cash bond.

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its about time wrote on Oct 20, 2008 11:05 AM: " its about time those girls get what they deserve, no one should be able to be getting away with this...i feel for the mauerer family... " enough is enough wrote on Oct 11, 2008 3:46 PM: " I sure hope this is put to rest and those involved pay for this crime. The family of Tracy Mauer needs to be able to put this to rest. This has been drawn out long enough. " The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Rhinelander Daily News.

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