On Wednesday of last week, 82-year-old Agnes Bram was at the Middleton Senior Center, playing euchre with her friends, as she often did. It was the last time she was seen alive.
Also at the senior center that day was a man named John “Jack” Hamann, who investigators believe later murdered Bram, from whom he was renting a room.
While police say the motive was unclear, news of the alleged homicide sent shockwaves through a community that is, both in terms of perception and crime statistics, usually remarkably safe.
While the story pieced together by authorities seemed ripped from the opening pages of Crime and Punishment, those who knew the victim were quick to share fond memories about the friendly woman known to her friends simply as “Aggie.”
The woman, whose body was discovered in her garage by a family member, was remembered for being active in the community, for enjoying and telling jokes, and for caring for others.
