Man pleads guilty in Duluth stabbing death

William James Holisky II admitted in court on Friday that he fatally stabbed Lisa Jean Isham in her Lincoln Park home on May 16, 2015. Holisky, 64, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in front of Sixth Judicial Judge Mark Munger in Duluth. A charge of animal cruelty was dismissed. Holisky also admitted to stabbing Isham’s dog, although he claimed he did so out of respect for Isham’s wishes. Under the plea agreement, Holisky would be sentenced to 30 years in prison, minus time already served and time for good behavior, Munger said. His sentencing hearing was set for Sept. 23. Holisky had faced a trial to begin July 25 in Crow Wing County. Munger had previously ordered the trial moved out of Duluth, ruling that pretrial publicity had made it impossible for Holisky to receive a fair trial in St. Louis County.
 Isham, 52, had been stabbed numerous times with a knife and was believed to have been dead for about two weeks before her body was discovered on May 30, 2015. Her dog was found dead at the same time. Under questioning from St. Louis County prosecutor Jessica Fralich, Holisky said he and Isham had met in March or April 2012 and became good friends “and short-term lovers.” After that, although they remained good friends, they agreed that their relationship would not be sexual, he said. Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and speaking in a hoarse, conversational voice, Holisky testified Friday that on the day Isham died he had been watching a golf tournament at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon on Superior Street. He said an acquaintance who owed him money gave him two filet mignons, and he decided to visit Isham and see if she wanted him to cook the steaks. She welcomed him when he arrived about 7:15 p.m., Holisky said. Only Isham and her dog, Mister, were home. He hugged Isham, and she served him a drink and then took a bath. According to Holisky’s testimony, what had been a convivial evening suddenly went bad. He was slicing an onion with a paring knife, and cut his finger. Isham complained that he was getting blood on her table, and she bit him on his finger, Holisky said. He responded by using the paring knife to stab her on the right side. “She died almost instantly,” Holisky said. Fralich challenged that statement, saying it didn’t match the evidence. If the trial had gone to a jury, Fralich said, they would have learned from the autopsy that Isham had been stabbed 24 times, about five of those after she died. Investigators found two knives in Isham’s body. Holisky said he didn’t remember using a second knife. “Did you at any point stab Lisa after she was dead?” Fralich asked. “I believe I did,” he responded. “Why?” she asked. “I don’t know. I think in my convoluted thinking I wanted to make it look like a heinous crime,” he said. “Because anyone who knew me would know that I wouldn’t do that.” He killed the dog, Holisky said, because Isham had said that if she died she would want her dog to enter the spirit world with her. “I loved Mister,” he said. Holisky, who told Munger he was under medication for bipolar disorder, testified he spent about an hour to an hour and a half in Isham’s home after the murder. “I think I held her for a while,” he said. “I told her I was sorry.” Fralich asked if he would have had the means to call 911; he said he did. “You could have called?” Fralich asked. “She was dead,” Holisky said. “You made the decision to make it worse, repeatedly stabbed her … killed the dog,” Fralich said. Holisky agreed that he had. Holisky said he didn’t remember what happened after he left Isham’s home, but he thought he checked himself in to Essentia Health’s Miller-Dwan Building. When Fralich said law enforcement officers found him in Superior and delivered him to Miller-Dwan, Holisky said he didn’t recall that but agreed it could have happened that way. Munger had approved public defender Jeremy Downs’ motion for a change of venue on the basis of two News Tribune articles in the past year that examined Holisky’s criminal history, which includes numerous violent incidents involving women. Munger said one of the issues he would have ruled on at Friday’s hearing regarded how much, if any, of that history could be presented in a jury trial. That question was no longer relevant because of Holisky’s guilty plea, he said. After completing the hearing, Munger ordered Holisky held in custody of the state Department of Corrections until his sentencing hearing. Holisky was represented by Steve Bergeson of the state public defender’s office, along with Downs. Both Bergeson and Fralich declined to comment following the hearing.William James Holisky II admitted in court on Friday that he fatally stabbed Lisa Jean Isham in her Lincoln Park home on May 16, 2015.Holisky, 64, pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree murder in front of Sixth Judicial Judge Mark Munger in Duluth. A charge of animal cruelty was dismissed. Holisky also admitted to stabbing Isham’s dog, although he claimed he did so out of respect for Isham’s wishes. Under the plea agreement, Holisky would be sentenced to 30 years in prison, minus time already served and time for good behavior, Munger said.His sentencing hearing was set for Sept. 23.Holisky had faced a trial to begin July 25 in Crow Wing County. Munger had previously ordered the trial moved out of Duluth, ruling that pretrial publicity had made it impossible for Holisky to receive a fair trial in St. Louis County.
 Isham, 52, had been stabbed numerous times with a knife and was believed to have been dead for about two weeks before her body was discovered on May 30, 2015. Her dog was found dead at the same time.Under questioning from St. Louis County prosecutor Jessica Fralich, Holisky said he and Isham had met in March or April 2012 and became good friends “and short-term lovers.” After that, although they remained good friends, they agreed that their relationship would not be sexual, he said.Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and speaking in a hoarse, conversational voice, Holisky testified Friday that on the day Isham died he had been watching a golf tournament at R.T. Quinlan’s Saloon on Superior Street. He said an acquaintance who owed him money gave him two filet mignons, and he decided to visit Isham and see if she wanted him to cook the steaks.She welcomed him when he arrived about 7:15 p.m., Holisky said. Only Isham and her dog, Mister, were home. He hugged Isham, and she served him a drink and then took a bath.According to Holisky’s testimony, what had been a convivial evening suddenly went bad. He was slicing an onion with a paring knife, and cut his finger. Isham complained that he was getting blood on her table, and she bit him on his finger, Holisky said. He responded by using the paring knife to stab her on the right side.“She died almost instantly,” Holisky said.Fralich challenged that statement, saying it didn’t match the evidence. If the trial had gone to a jury, Fralich said, they would have learned from the autopsy that Isham had been stabbed 24 times, about five of those after she died. Investigators found two knives in Isham’s body. Holisky said he didn’t remember using a second knife. “Did you at any point stab Lisa after she was dead?” Fralich asked.“I believe I did,” he responded.“Why?” she asked.“I don’t know. I think in my convoluted thinking I wanted to make it look like a heinous crime,” he said. “Because anyone who knew me would know that I wouldn’t do that.”He killed the dog, Holisky said, because Isham had said that if she died she would want her dog to enter the spirit world with her. “I loved Mister,” he said.Holisky, who told Munger he was under medication for bipolar disorder, testified he spent about an hour to an hour and a half in Isham’s home after the murder. “I think I held her for a while,” he said. “I told her I was sorry.”Fralich asked if he would have had the means to call 911; he said he did.“You could have called?” Fralich asked.“She was dead,” Holisky said.“You made the decision to make it worse, repeatedly stabbed her … killed the dog,” Fralich said.Holisky agreed that he had.Holisky said he didn’t remember what happened after he left Isham’s home, but he thought he checked himself in to Essentia Health’s Miller-Dwan Building. When Fralich said law enforcement officers found him in Superior and delivered him to Miller-Dwan, Holisky said he didn’t recall that but agreed it could have happened that way.Munger had approved public defender Jeremy Downs’ motion for a change of venue on the basis of two News Tribune articles in the past year that examined Holisky’s criminal history, which includes numerous violent incidents involving women.Munger said one of the issues he would have ruled on at Friday’s hearing regarded how much, if any, of that history could be presented in a jury trial. That question was no longer relevant because of Holisky’s guilty plea, he said.After completing the hearing, Munger ordered Holisky held in custody of the state Department of Corrections until his sentencing hearing. Holisky was represented by Steve Bergeson of the state public defender’s office, along with Downs. Both Bergeson and Fralich declined to comment following the hearing.