Sixteen years ago, the mother of a 19-year-old entered the Green Bay Police Department, frantic over the disappearance of her son. On Thursday, exactly 16 years to that day, the man responsible for taking her son’s life was sentenced for the crime.
Peter Hanson, 53, was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, as party to a crime, for the death of Chad McLean. He will serve his sentence in the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun.
“It’s what we’ve been waiting for for 16 years,” said Robert Neilson, brother of McLean’s mother, Carol Neilson. “It means a lot, and it’s the resolution we wanted.”
McLean traveled to Abrams in February 1998 with a longtime friend to seek out fishing spots in Oconto County. After ending up at the home of his friend’s relatives drinking beer, he accepted the offer of a ride home with two men.
Hanson and Charles (Chuck) Mlados were the last two people seen with McLean, according to court records. Hanson told investigators he and Mlados dropped McLean off at the Hiway Restaurant in Abrams, now Abrams Truck & Trailer.
Although security tapes showed Hanson and Mlados at the truck stop purchasing beer on three separate occasions on Feb. 22, 1998, there was no evidence that McLean had been taken there.
Autopsy reports showed he died of gunshot wounds to the head. A jury found Hanson guilty of the crime in December.
Mlados faces charges of first-degree murder as party to a crime and two counts of perjury. A jury trial is scheduled to begin in August.
Lori Neilson-Griggs, McLean’s cousin, read a statement from the family telling of the loss the family has suffered.
“Chad was my grandma’s only grandson,” Neilson-Griggs said. “Chad wasn’t just a victim, he was a member of our family.”
Neilson-Griggs urged the court to give Hanson the maximum punishment, a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
In his remarks after the sentencing, special prosecutor Vince Biskupic praised Carol Neilson’s dedication to her son.
“A young, single mother walked into the Green Bay Police Department frantic, and 16 years later, her determination continues to be the motivation in solving this crime,” he said.
Biskupic, who recommended a sentence of life without parole, spoke in court of a “cavalier” attitude toward life that Hanson exhibited in killing McLean.
During Biskupic’s arguments, Hanson looked away from the prosecutor’s table to his right or toward the center of the room. He fidgeted in his chair and, at times, leaned back to peer at the floor under the defense table.
After his description of the crime, Biskupic focused on McLean, emphasizing the dedication he had to his job at a Green Bay paper mill.
“There were nothing but glowing reports of him during the months he worked there,” Biskupic said.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Jazgar asked that Hanson receive credit for the 305 days spent in jail and ended by saying, “My obligation is to ask that my client 20 years down the line has chance of parole.”
Hanson did not make a statement.
Judge Michael Judge referred to the 10 serious convictions in Hanson’s past, listing burglary, forgery, armed robbery and drug convictions, and mentioned the 52 counts of possession of child pornography Hanson pleaded no contest to in July.
“He has a history when he was a young man of being an undesirable character,” Judge said. “The public needs to be protected from Mr. Hanson. I want to ensure that the defendant is confined so that the public is protected from him.”
Judge said Hanson, after committing the crime, sat back and watched the family and community members search for McLean without coming forward to admit his involvement.
“To not step forward and acknowledge your involvement is intolerable,” Judge said.
After the hearing, Robert Neilson expressed his appreciation to the agencies that helped bring a resolution in the case and encouraged people to come forward if they have knowledge of any cold cases.
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