The man accused of kidnapping Wisconsin teenager Jayme Closs and holding her for nearly three months has apologized to her in a letter he wrote to an NBC-affiliate station. Jake Patterson, 21, also indicated in his letter that he planned to plead guilty.
A reporter for the station, Lou Raguse, of Kare 11 in Minneapolis, received a letter from Patterson postmarked Feb. 28. In it, Patterson answered questions that Raguse had sent about the kidnapping.
Jayme was abducted from her family's home in Barron, Wisconsin, on Oct. 15. Patterson has been charged with her kidnapping and with killing her parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46.
Patterson wrote that he provided police with as much detail as he did "so they didn’t have to interview Jayme. They did anyways and hurt her more for no reason."
"I knew when I was caught (which I thought would happen a lot sooner) I wouldn’t fight anything," Patterson wrote.
Jayme, 13, was declared missing after police found her parents shot to death while responding to a 911 call. She was found 88 days later after escaping Patterson's home in Douglas County, Wisconsin, about an hour north from where she went missing.
The news station reported that Patterson's attorney, Charles Glynn, would not confirm or deny the letter. The lawyer said he not spoken with Patterson directly about the letter, Kare 11 reported.
Raguse asked about Patterson' motivation for wanting to kidnap the teen, his response was: "It’s not black and white."
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Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said in January after Jayme was found that Patterson "had specific intentions to kidnap Jayme, and went to great lengths to prepare to take her."
"The cops say I planned this thoroughly, and that I said that," Patterson wrote. "They’re really good at twisting your words around, put them in different spots, straight up lie. Little mad about that. Trying to cover up their mistakes I guess. This was mostly on impulse. I don’t think like a serial killer."
Fitzgerald told KARE 11 that he was aware of Patterson's letter to the station and that outgoing correspondence from inmates is reviewed before it is mailed.
Patterson said he intends to enter a guilty plea at his next court appearance, which is set for March 27. He wrote that he doesn't want Jayme or her family "to worry about a trial."
"The reason I did this is complicated," Patterson wrote. "No one will believe or can even imagine how sorry I am for hurting Jayme this much. Can’t express it."
Patterson wrote on the back of his letter: "I’m Sorry Jayme! For everything. I know it doesn’t mean much."
KARE 11 informed Jayme's aunt and legal guardian, Jennifer Smith, of the letter, and she said the family did not wish to speak on camera.
The full transcript of Patterson's letter can be read on KARE 11.