In the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, the life of Thomas A. Guyette, a 71-year-old White/Caucasian man from Menasha, Wisconsin, came to a tragic and violent end. Responding to a call at approximately 5:09 a.m. about a man with a gunshot wound, Menasha police officers arrived at a residence in the 200 block of Chute Street to find Guyette deceased at the scene.
He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
The events leading to the discovery began when a man renting a room in the basement of the home heard Guyette and his girlfriend, Catherine Ann Cheskie, arguing. The argument was followed by the sound of a single gunshot. The witness went upstairs and found Guyette on his bed, who told him, "I'm shot," before the witness called 911.
The investigation into Guyette's death quickly focused on his 55-year-old girlfriend, Catherine Ann Cheskie. In the course of their investigation, police found gunshot residue on Cheskie's hands. She was taken into custody and subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide. During the legal proceedings, Cheskie denied shooting Guyette, at one point claiming she was legally blind and could not accurately fire a weapon. She also gave inconsistent statements about how the gun was handled after the shooting, though she did not believe Guyette had shot himself.
Following a three-day trial, a jury deliberated for about four hours before finding Catherine Ann Cheskie guilty of the first-degree intentional homicide of Thomas Guyette. The Menasha Police Department confirmed that the incident was isolated and that the suspect and victim were acquaintances, assuring the public there was no further danger.
