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Landlord to let victim’s fiancé out of fall lease
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The University of Wisconsin student who found his fiancée slain in their West Doty Street apartment was released from his lease, a management company announced Monday.
The Wisconsin Management Company relieved Jordan Gonnering and Brittany Zimmermann’s estate of the remaining 16 months on the lease at 517 W. Doty St.
Gonnering lived in the apartment with Zimmermann, a 21-year-old UW junior who was killed in the apartment April 2. Police are actively seeking information from everyone who was in the area the day of and before Zimmermann’s death but have no suspects in the case.
Russ Endres, president of Wisconsin Management, declined to tell the Wisconsin State Journal last week whether the company would let Gonnering out of the lease.
“We felt it inappropriate, one week after the incident, to discuss particulars of the lease situation until we had spoken to the families,” Endres said in a statement. “After discussing what the family wanted, we have decided to release all parties from any lease obligations.”
City Council President Mike Verveer, District 4, was one of the city alders working to intervene on Gonnering’s behalf.
“I think it’s unfortunate [Wisconsin Management] put Jordan through all the agony and worrying about his lease for the past several days,” Verveer said. “I’m relieved Wisconsin Property Management finally did the right thing.”
The Student Tenant Union’s rent boycott for Wisconsin Management student renters was short-lived, as the management company announced the contract release about the same time the Tenant Union sent out its boycott information.
UW senior Joe Lindstrom said it is very fortunate that what the student organization hoped for occurred.
“We hope other landlords see that when they are unreasonably greedy, there is a heavy price to pay in public image,” Lindstrom said. “Wisconsin Management Company, after a lot of urging from the community, finally did the right thing.”
According to Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, when a person dies, his or her estate is still responsible for paying rent until a new tenant moves in. Zimmermann’s estate will be relieved of the lease.
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I will never, NEVER, NERVER use Wisconsin Management in the future.
Come on! Is Jordan the boyfriend or the fiance!? The only other time I’m seen him referred to as “fiance” was by Brittany’s father. Every other news story from every source calls him “boyfriend”, including the police.
Can we get this one simple fact straightened out?
Does it matter whether he was “boyfriend”, “fiance” or roommate or other? It’s kind of weird that you care so much…
I don’t understand how their relationship status is relevant, especially relating to the article, and the fact the he isn’t being considered as a suspect.
How many years has Joe Lindstrom been a UW Senior? It’s got to be going on, like, five or six.
I am not boycotting Wisconsin Management because they did what they are supposed to do in a timely fashion. Sure the media wants a ugly duckling to write about. Mangaging properties is a legal process; it can’t be about accomodating wiley reporters and feel good politicians with penchant for publicity and deadlines.
Next time you guys should focus on all those patients who get treatment denied at UW Hospital, Meriter and St. Marys. You may actually have a story there.
12:09 and 12:11
1) The police claim he’s not a suspect, they don’t say why except that he was “cooperative”. Well considering there’s no witnesses and no suspects, I wonder how cooperative he could possibly be.
2) The police also say they have DNA from the crime scene, but say it takes time to process. Again, I would wonder how they can exonerate the boyfriend. And if they have exonerated him already based on DNA, why haven’t they announced if the DNA matches the DNA from the Joel Marino murder?
3) Does it matter if they were engaged? No. But it does matter that the father gave lengthy interviews the day after his daughter’s murder calling Jordan her “fiancee” and he also says bizarre things like “she never dated anyone until she was 18, in fact I know that.” So to me, I’m curious why less than 3 years later a woman who’s just started dating has her over-protective father under the impression that she’s engaged to a man she’s living with. And then that every news organization has gone back-and-forth between “boyfriend” and “fiancee”. You would think that would be an easy fact to verify.
I’m not saying I know who did it or accusing anyone, but 99 of 100 times, this type of murder (stabbing, not drug related, etc) is a personal thing, and it almost always leads back to family and friends. The immediate focus on the homeless just seems like a waste of time.
Well, my fourth year in Madison was 2003. That’s probably when I started saying I was a senior, because I had a good long run of semesters (3?)that would’ve been the start of my senior year, but I would invariably drop all of my classes. Then I was gone for awhile.
My seventh semester of school didn’t occur until last spring. So, technically, I wasn’t a senior until January of ‘07. But I’ve been starting my senior year since ‘03. So, yeah. About 5 years.
“I’m not saying I know who did it or accusing anyone, but 99 of 100 times, this type of murder (stabbing, not drug related, etc) is a personal thing, and it almost always leads back to family and friends. The immediate focus on the homeless just seems like a waste of time.”
Sounds like YOU did it.
To the person 2 posts above trying to play detective: Stop. If the police have ruled out the fiance as a suspect I’m sure they have their reasons, just because they dont share every one of their secrets with you doesn’t mean they dont know what theyre doing.