48-year-old Braeden R. Ward Charged With 1st-degree Intentional Homicide For The Stabbing Death Of Jamie Ward In Greenfield

The murdered 50-year-old woman was last seen alive on May 4, her decomposing body was discover on May 18 by police after conducting a welfare check.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

May 21. 2022

Updated

Greenfield, Wisconsin - Greenfield police discovered a gruesome murder crime scene on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, when they went to a residence at the 4700 block of W. Maple Leaf Circle. When police entered the home for a welfare check, they found the decomposing body of Jamie Le Ward, 50, with stab wounds in her bedroom. 

Her husband, Braeden R. Ward, 48, was taken into custody for the alleged homicide after a brief standoff with police in Franklin on Wednesday. He was charged with 1st-degree intentional homicide and use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted, Braeden is facing life in prison without parole. He is being held on a $1,000,000 cash bail at the Milwaukee County jail.

According to police, an out-of-state relative had called police to conduct a welfare check on Jamie because information received by the family member indicated that she might be dead. 

Braeden confessed to police that he stabbed Jamie to death. That he also washed her decaying body daily to prevent the body from smelling during decomposition.

The criminal says that Braeden told police that on May 4, he stabbed Jamie in the neck while she was in the shower stall, she died four minutes later. He then stabbed her in the leg and stomach to help drain the blood. Apparently, Braeden confessed that he assisted Jamie in killing her because she wanted to end years of chronic pain and had asked him on May 3 to end her life.

Braeden had also confessed to Jamie's out-of-state relative living in South Dakota that he had killed Jamie who then called police and told them that her brother-in-law had killed Jamie and wanted police to do a welfare check on her.

In this case, Braeden knowing he would be charged for her murder didn't provide any evidence to police, to indicate Jamie actually wanted to die by her husband's hand.

In Wisconsin, it's illegal to assist anyone that results in death.

Jamie's identity was confirmed through dental records due to the two weeks state of decomposition of her body, according to police.