Andersen gets 60 years for killing Ladd woman

HENNEPIN — After being convicted in an intense, two-week trial in July, Clifford A. “Skip” Andersen Jr., 68, of Standard, was sentenced in August to 60 years in prison for the murder of his sister-in-law.

Andersen was also found guilty of concealing her homicidal death, and he received an additional concurrent sentence of five years in prison for that crime.

Deborah Dewey, 62, of Ladd was reported missing Aug. 23, 2016. Her body was found Sept. 12, 2016, by investigators at a house in Standard for which Andersen was caretaker and only blocks from his home.

The trial included 55 witnesses, more than 600 exhibits and an abundance of overwhelming circumstantial evidence that proved Andersen lied about several things and that established he had been leading something of a double life: one as a successful gambler with deep pockets and a desire to help others, particularly waitresses and fellow veterans, and the other as a down-on-his-luck gambler needing financial help.

Andersen was also revealed to have incriminated himself during the final day of testimony when a tape of jailhouse phone calls with his wife was played in court. He admitted on tape that “they got me” in regards to purchasing the manure, being seen with the carpet cleaner from which DNA-evidence had linked him to Dewey, and more.

The prosecution requested the maximum sentence, saying the crime was “brutal and heinous” because Dewey had trusted and loved her brother-in-law.

Putnam County State’s Attorney Christina Judd-Mennie explained Dewey had been helping Andersen with his overwhelming gambling debts, describing her as “his golden goose.”

His gambling habits and multiple payday loans required a minimum $1,200 monthly payment at 35 to 78 percent interest and were a major feature in the establishment of a motive.

As Dewey slowly drained her retirement account, Mennie said she realized she’d not set enough aside for tax obligations and cut Andersen off financially.

“His actions alone killed Debbie Dewey,” Mennie said.

She also added the lack of finding Dewey’s phone, as well as a murder weapon or a substantial amount of DNA and fingerprint evidence, was because of the 21 days Andersen had to hide his actions.

Investigators were led to Andersen by other family members who were suspicious of his behavior following her disappearance. Before her disappearance, the two talked on the phone several times a day, but following her disappearance, he made no attempts to contact her.

As he delivered the sentence, Judge Stephen Kouri said at one time Andersen, a Vietnam veteran, was a hero.

“Two Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star, at one point you were a hero, but that doesn’t alter what you’ve become,” he told Andersen.

He then said that among murders, Dewey’s was one of the worst he’d experienced.