Rick murder appeal denied

By The Associated Press

and Daily Globe staff

MADISON, Wis. - A state appeals court isn't letting Donald Rick withdraw his guilty plea in the gruesome Bear Trap homicide in Saxon.

Rick, 46, formerly of Hurley, told investigators he decided to rob the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon on March 12, 2016, after he lost all his money at a casino in Lac du Flambeau the night before. After the bar closed, he tackled bartender Lisa Waldros, of Kimball, stabbed her and then burned down the bar with her body inside.

Rick pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide and was sentenced to life without parole....