Gardipee charged in Green Bay homicide

GREEN BAY - A Green Bay man is now charged in a weekend homicide.

Richard Gardipee, 31, is facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his live-in girlfriend.

Police identify the murder victim as Wendy Garcia but friends and family say she used the name Wendy Botsford.

Her body was found Saturday in the basement of a home at 944 Christiana Street.

Officials say Garcia did have a stab wound on the left side of her chest.

"I keep thinking it's a nightmare and I just can't wake up from it," said Julie Pryes, a friend of the victim.

According to a criminal complaint, Gardipee admitted to police he stabbed Garcia with a kitchen knife at their home on Saturday afternoon. Gardipee told authorities it happened after the couple started to fist fight about Gardipee taking pain killers.

A friend of Gardipee’s called police on Saturday. The friend told authorities Gardipee came to his house with blood on his clothes and said he had hurt his girlfriend.

Officials also say Garcia’s four-year-old son from a previous relationship was at the couple’s home when the incident happened.

They say he was unharmed and is now in the care of relatives.

"How could you take the mother of a four-year-old baby?" said Pryes.

In Brown County court Monday afternoon, Gardipee’s bond was set at $500,000 cash. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family.

Gardipee is scheduled to return to court on July 18th.