The Waller case

Stan and Ruby Rawson held a funeral for their daughter Saturday.

We can't begin to imagine what they have been through in the last two years, nevermind the last two weeks. The same goes for Jacque Waller's triplet children, and their half-brother; and Jacque's sister, Cheryl Brenneke, as well.

Clay Waller led authorities last week to the location of Jacque's body. It was part of a plea deal. He agreed to confess his crime and tell authorities where he had hidden Jacque's body in exchange for lesser charges and sentence, which were for second-degree murder and 20 years in prison.

Law enforcement has no doubt the murder was premeditated. Clay Waller had dug the hole the previous day; he had lied to Jacque -- about needing her to pick up their son -- to lure her to his house, where he admitted to beating her and suffocating her while lying on top of her. He then put her body in a trash can, hauled it across the river and buried it under 6 feet of sand, a place where even cadaver dogs wouldn't find her.

Jacque had been missing since June 1, 2011.

Now that the family has laid Jacque to rest, now that they know where she is, they can let loose a little of the pressure that has haunted them the last two years. But there is so much heartache ahead for those close to her, particularly her children.

Clay Waller will get credit for time served since being charged with murder. That's more than a year. Law states that he will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence, meaning he could see as little 17 years for killing his wife, who was trying to divorce him. He still must complete his five-year sentence for the Internet threats he made against Brenneke.

The plea deal was done with the family's blessing. To them, it was worth a lesser sentence to find Jacque's body and to have their son-in-law admit his guilt. That is certainly understandable. Still, no one believes Clay Waller is being punished justly.

Clay Waller's triplet children could be in their late 20s or early 30s when he is released from prison. Maddox, the lone boy among the triplets, made his feelings known via a recording that was played in court.

"To Dad: This is Maddox. The son of you. You killed our mom. ... I thought you were a good guy. Now I know you're not. You big, fat jerk, you. I wish you weren't ... my dad. ... I never want to see you again. You understand?"

That will be part of Clay Waller's punishment, too.

But the justice system might not be done with Clay Waller yet. Of the many mistakes the murderer made during his crime was taking Jacque's body to Illinois to hide it. That means that Illinois and federal prosecutors have jurisdiction in this case, too. We hope they choose to build separate cases against Waller. Nothing short of death behind bars seems appropriate for a pathological liar who planned and executed the killing of his wife, buried her near the Mississippi River and later obscenely mocked those who were searching for her. Waller has shown no remorse or compassion for his crimes. Neither should our justice system for piling on as many years as allowed under the law.

As Jacque's family continues to grieve, her parents, sister and children can take some comfort in knowing that so many stood by them over this horrible ordeal. Jacque's friends, co-workers and so many strangers who wanted to do something, did what they could. They helped search for Jacque. They ran and walked 5Ks to raise money to help support the children. They offered words of encouragement.

A special thank-you goes to everyone who helped support the family. And to law enforcement officials for maintaining their focus.

Stan Rawson offered a bit of a silver lining when he spoke at Thursday's news conference following the plea hearing. He said Jacque's death has brought the issue of domestic violence to thousands of people. The family had asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to domestic abuse shelters and organizations.

Please remember Jacque and do what you can to help those who you suspect are in an abusive situation.

God bless Stan, Ruby, Cheryl and Jacque's children.