Man charged for ordering ‘hit’ that led to town of Spencer homicide

Steven Crandall, 24, of Wisconsin Rapids, was charged on April 8 in Marathon County Circuit Court with felony first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime in the shooting death of Christian Schauer, 20, of Marshfi eld, on Dec. 29, 2020. Crandall resides in the Wood County Jail on a charge filed Oct. 15, 2021, for felony taking and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent. In January, Crandall told Wood County Jail staff he wanted to talk about Schauer’s murder, prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint.

He told two detectives he did not kill Schauer but he “put out a hit” on Schauer by hiring associates in Chicago to kill him, take the license plates off his car and get rid of all the evidence for $5,000, prosecutors allege in the complaint.

Crandall told investigators Schauer robbed one of his dealers of 80 prescription pain killers, prosecutors allege in the complaint. Crandall said he met with the three people he hired at a Marshfield hotel after Schauer was killed, confirmed the death by looking at a picture and paid the murder suspects $5,000.

Scott Corbett, Marathon County Circuit Court Branch 6 judge, set a cash bond of $500,000 for Crandall. Terms of the bond are that Crandall have no contact with Christopher Schauer’s family or residence, Jared and Shawn Carl and Audrey Benson. Crandall’s preliminary hearing is scheduled at 3:10 p.m. on July 26, in Marathon County Circuit Court.

A fur trapper found Schauer’s body about 2 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2020, south of Swamp Road in the McMillan Marsh Wildlife area in the town of Spencer. An autopsy showed Schauer died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Audrey Benson, 21, of Marshfield, later told police investigators she and Schauer, her best friend, went to Chicago the weekend before his death, prosecutors allege in the complaint. She said Jared Carl, 20, of Stratford, and Schauer came to her Marshfield apartment on Dec. 29 to smoke marijuana. She didn’t like smoking in her apartment, so they went for a drive in Schauer’s car.

Benson said Jared Carl told her someone offered him money to beat up Schauer and “leave him bloody,” prosecutors allege in the complaint. Benson said she told Jared Carl no and that Schauer was her friend, and Jared Carl said he wouldn’t do it. Benson said she didn’t know Jared Carl was going to shoot Schauer and that she was in the woods, away from the other two men, when the shooting took place.

Jared Carl told investigators the trio went for a drive that morning to Abe Lincoln Avenue in the town of Spencer, where he told Benson to get out of the car, prosecutors allege in the complaint. Jared Carl said he told Schauer he was sorry and then shot him five or six times. Jared Carl said he then got out of the car, pulled Schauer out, took his coat and ordered Benson to get back in the car.

The pair then drove to the town of Eau Pleine home, located northwest of Stratford, that Jared Carl shared with his father, Shawn Carl, 51, prosecutors allege in the complaint.

Jared Carl said he told his father he shot Schauer to protect Benson and showed him Schauer’s car with the bullet holes and blood stains.

Prosecutors allege Shawn Carl then helped his son and Benson buy a tarp and hide Schauer’s car in a field on the town of Eau Pleine property before he drove them back to Marshfield. Jared Carl told a detective he showed Benson the gun the morning they drove to the town of Spencer. He said he planned to shoot Schauer that morning and that he only helped Benson because she was his ex and he felt her life was in danger.

Jared Carl plead guilty on Dec. 21, 2021, to first-degree intentional homicide in connection to Schauer’s death and his rescheduled sentencing hearing is set for July 25, in Marathon County Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill’s Branch 1 courtroom.

Shawn Carl pleaded not guilty on April 6, 2021, to harboring a felon, obstructing an officer, possessing a machine gun, possessing a firearm silencer and theft. His next court hearing is at 3:45 p.m. on April 27, in Judge O’Neill’s Branch 1 courtroom.

Benson pleaded not guilty on April 16, 2021, to being a party to the crimes of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and two counts of obstructing an officer in connection to the homicide. A one-week jury trial is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 18, in Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Huber’s Branch 2 courtroom.