CRANDON, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – Two people who were inside a Crandon mobile home when a 25-year-old Lac du Flambeau woman committed suicide are facing charges for tampering with evidence and interfering with the investigation that followed. Prosecutors say 31-year-old Lawrence Schuman and 23-year-old Valerie Niemuth tried to hide parts of the gun from police.
Savanna Larson died of a self-inflicted gunshot in a bathroom about 4am that day. Police recovered a pistol nearby.
Niemuth told investigators that Larson “had beaten her up” in an argument about Niemuth kissing someone and there were threats to tell Schuman. Niemuth told investigators stories indicating she and Schuman were in a bedroom or the kitchen when Larson shot herself with a gun that belonged to Schuman, the complaint said.
The pair removed the magazine from the gun and hid it in the nearby forest in a scheme to protect Schuman, a convicted felon, from getting into trouble. Schuman is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm as a repeater, a felony, and Niemuth is charged with misdemeanor lying to police.
Both are to return to court July 12.
