JANESVILLE — A 23-year-old Janesville man who allegedly shot and left his ex-girlfriend for dead in the woods along Peace Trail made a video appearance in Rock County Circuit Court Friday. A subsequent appearance was set for May 10, at 3 p.m., at which time he’ll be assigned an attorney.
Logan Barclay, 23, Janesville, is accused of fatally shooting Kiersten Hansen, 22, of Janesville, the mother of their 1-year-old son, after she told him she might be pregnant again. Barclay faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide, modified as domestic violence.
Barclay remains in custody in the Rock County Jail on $1 million bond.
Circuit Court Commissioner Mason Braunschweig suggested Friday that securing a defense attorney for Barclay may require additional steps.
“Given the circumstances behind this particular case, it’s not as easy for the public defender to find counsel for you because it requires someone with a higher certification,” Braunschweig said.
According to a criminal complaint, Barclay allegedly confessed to walking in the woods with Hansen on the evening of Tuesday, April 16, and shooting her in the stomach after arguing about her being pregnant again. Two women found Hansen’s body while walking Peace Trail near the 1400 block of Afton Road in the afternoon of Wednesday, April 17.
Hansen was found without her phone or wallet.
Hansen’s mother told officers she had last seen her daughter on April 16 when Barclay was going to pick her up. She said they’ve been together “on and off” for two years and “do not always get along.”
Barclay initially told officers that he had not seen Hansen since Sunday, April 14, and said they had taken a walk and talked about her possibly being pregnant again. Barclay said if Hansen was pregnant, he would be the father. He said she was “obsessed with him.”
In an interview with police on the evening of April 18, Barclay said he was not ready to be a father and had wanted Hansen to get an abortion. She had kept their son, which strained their relationship. When Hansen struggled to care for him, CPS got involved and the baby was placed with Barclay’s parents.
After an officer confronted Barclay, stating that his information didn’t line up, Barclay allegedly admitted seeing Hanson on April 16. Barclay told police he picked her up and took her to the trail by his house before bringing her back home again. The detective told Barclay that they knew she didn’t return home that night.
Allegedly, Barclay then confessed being angry with Hansen for being pregnant again and not wanting to give the baby up.
Barclay said she “would not stop talking about the pregnancy.” He said he “broke” and “snapped,” pulling out a gun, shooting her in the stomach before walking away. Barclay said it was an accident. He also said he sent threatening texts to Hansen to kill the baby, but deleted them from his phone.
Barclay threw her phone near her apartment then went to hang out with friends. An officer found the phone in a dumpster outside her apartment under a garbage bag. Officers also found a .22 handgun disassembled in Barclay’s home.
Friends of Barclay told officers they saw him on the evening of April 16 and he didn’t “appear to be scared or worried.”
