Former Alexandria woman gets life in prison for killing her husband

A former Alexandria woman will spend the rest of her life in prison for killing her husband, according to the Beatrice, Neb., Daily Sun.

Susan DeJong, of Fairbury, Neb., killed her husband, Thomas DeJong, in March 2011 in their Fairbury home. A jury convicted her of first-degree murder in February and District Judge Paul Korslund pronounced a mandatory life sentence May 3, plus an additional 50 years for use of a deadly weapon.

The prosecution said Susan DeJong beat Thomas DeJong with a hammer over a three-day period on his head, torso and limbs, eventually calling 911 to request an ambulance.

The defense claimed Thomas DeJong had been out of town on business and in South Dakota with a mistress when he sustained the injuries that killed him.

The prosecution said cell phone calls made during the days the defense claimed he was gone were all made in the Fairbury area.

“He suffered horribly,” Judge Korslund said to Susan DeJong during sentencing. “Thomas DeJong was basically a suffering servant. He did not deserve the brutal assault that was inflicted on him over a period of days. And Ms. DeJong, you did nothing, until it was too late, to obtain medical treatment for him.”

When given the chance to speak, Susan DeJong only wept and said, “You’re all wrong.”

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