Fond du Lac County—A local judge significantly reduced the cash bond for Benjamin Larson, 47, who faces three counts of concealing stolen property, obstruction and bail jumping after three human skulls were discovered in his Taycheedah home.
Bond reduction and court reasoning
Judge Douglas Edelstein cut Larson’s bond from $150,000 to $20,000, stating, “this case is a property crime case, and this case is only a property crime case.” The judge also ordered that any GPS monitoring required in the related Dane County stalking case continue if the bond is posted.
Evidence and defense arguments
Investigators found the skulls during a search tied to a separate stalking case, along with books, documents and memorabilia related to notorious murderers such as Ed Gein. Defense attorney Sara Christensen plans to move to dismiss, arguing the state cannot prove Larson obtained the skulls illegally. She cited a family friend who allegedly gave Larson one of the skulls decades ago, noting a childhood photo of him with the item.
Christensen also referenced a report from a UW‑Oshkosh anthropologist indicating the three skulls are of Native American origin. Judge Edelstein asked whether federal law would require the items to be returned to the appropriate tribe, to which Christensen replied that the issue does not affect the state charge of stolen property.
Next steps in the case
District Attorney Eric Toney said he will review any motions before commenting further. A status hearing is scheduled for Dec. 15, with a motions hearing likely to follow. No trial date has been set.
Detectives continue to work with a forensic anthropologist from the Wisconsin Crime Lab, the Wisconsin Historical Society, the Wisconsin Inter‑Tribal Repatriation Committee and specialized labs to determine the authenticity and age of the remains.
Original reporting: FOX 11 WLUK Green Bay (local) — read the source article.
