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BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
A judge yesterday (Thursday, May 4) sentenced the murderer of Atherton arborist Kathleen Anderson to 26-years-to-life in prison, saying the killing in her Menlo Park home was “gruesome to the point of almost being unbelievable.”
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt also said the murder committed by Francis Wolke is “every woman’s worst nightmare.”
Judge Garratt’s sentence, the maximum for first-degree murder in California, means that Wolke will have to serve 26 years before being eligible for parole hearings, but could end up spending the rest of his life in prison.
Wolke stabbed Anderson in the eye and nearly decapitated her.
During the trial, testimony was given that Wolke had auditory hallucinations that led him to return to California from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, in early December 2018 because he said he wanted to join the 1% who consume human flesh.
Wolke is the oldest of eight children. Born in Cincinnati, he was mostly homeschooled growing up, attending public high school only for a few years. After graduating high school, Wolke attended the University of Cincinnati to major in chemistry but flunked out, his attorney said. So in 2015, Wolke decided to try getting his fortune in Silicon Valley, where he was unable to keep a job and his mental health problems escalated.
On Dec. 12, 2018, Wolke entered Anderson’s Valparaiso Avenue home and brutally killed her, dragging her from one part of the home into the basement, which is where she was found by police.
Wolke was found in Anderson’s home by her former tenant, Daniel Baggett, who decided to check on Anderson after not hearing back from her earlier that day.
Wolke had blood on his clothes and told Baggett he had killed Anderson. Baggett held Wolke at knifepoint until police arrived.
The jury didn’t buy Wolke’s claim that he was insane at the time of the crime. If they had, that would have sent him to a state-run hospital until he was found sane.
Judge Garratt said she believes Wolke has mental health issues but instead of getting help, he did drugs instead.
Anderson, 62, was Atherton’s arborist for 22 years. She was the widow of William “Andy” Anderson, who co-owned Dahl Plumbing on Alma Street in Palo Alto. He died in 2007. They were married for about 30 years. They regularly hosted holiday parties and traveled.
Anderson was from Decater, Ill., and came to California in the 1980s to go to school. She was known as a generous friend and great cook — specializing in down-home midwestern sidedishes. She was also known for her green thumb, with her home having had a beautiful indoor sunroom filled with plants.
Keep him in prison for life.
Or longer.