You’ve probably heard about Lori Esker — the former Marathon County dairy princess convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée in 1989. Her case shocked Wisconsin and became a made-for-TV movie. But where is she today?
Lori Esker lives in Racine, Wisconsin, under supervised parole. She was released from Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center in Union Grove on July 16, 2019, after serving 30 years of a life sentence. She remains under the supervision of a probation and parole agent as she continues serving her life sentence in the community.
Why People Are Searching for Lori Esker
The Esker case remains one of Wisconsin’s most infamous crimes. She strangled 21-year-old Lisa Cihaski with a belt in a hotel parking lot in Rib Mountain. The motive? Jealousy. Cihaski was engaged to Bill Buss, Esker’s former boyfriend.
Political controversy reignited interest in 2022. The Republican Party of Wisconsin criticized Governor Tony Evers’ parole policies, listing Esker among dozens of convicted killers released during his administration. This brought her case back into the public spotlight.
Esker’s Release and Current Status
The Wisconsin Parole Commission granted Esker’s release on June 27, 2019. She walked out of prison on July 16, 2019, at age 50.
Here’s what we know about her current situation:
- Location: Racine, Wisconsin
- Status: On supervised parole for life
- Supervision: Must report regularly to a probation and parole agent
- Conditions: If parole is revoked, she returns to prison immediately
Her exact address isn’t public information. Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections doesn’t disclose specific residential details for parolees.
The Crime That Changed Everything
On September 20, 1989, Esker drove 150 miles from her UW-River Falls campus to confront Cihaski. She waited in the parking lot of the Howard Johnson motel, where Cihaski worked as an assistant sales and catering manager.
The two women sat in Cihaski’s car and talked. Esker lied about being pregnant with Buss’s child. An argument erupted. Esker grabbed a belt from the backseat and strangled Cihaski.
Marathon County District Attorney Greg Grau told the jury that Esker held the belt tightly around Cihaski’s neck for a minimum of two minutes. Cihaski’s mother found her daughter’s body the next morning.
During police questioning, Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Hoenisch asked Esker to demonstrate what happened. She wasn’t hesitant. She had him off his chair and against the wall in the interview room. Hoenisch concluded: “Lori Esker is a strong, powerful woman.”
From Dairy Princess to Convicted Killer
Before the murder, Esker was Marathon County’s golden girl. She came from a farm family with 110 years of Wisconsin farming history. She was:
- National Honor Society member
- Student council president
- 1989 Marathon County Dairy Princess
- Leader in 4-H Club, Future Farmers of America, and Future Business Leaders of America
She made more than 100 appearances as the dairy princess. She owned about a dozen dairy cows that she tended on weekends. She resigned after being charged with murder.
The Trial and Conviction
Esker was arrested eight days after the murder. Her trial took place in June 1990.
She claimed self-defense. She told investigators she didn’t know if Cihaski “was dead or just passed out.” She insisted she hadn’t intended to kill her former classmate.
The jury didn’t buy it. They convicted her of first-degree intentional homicide.
Friends and college classmates testified that Esker was obsessed with Buss. She repeatedly told them she hated Cihaski and would get Buss back somehow. One friend said Esker planned to quit school, marry Buss, and farm with him.
After the killing, Esker took Cihaski’s belt and engagement ring. She threw the belt into her dorm’s incinerator. The ring went into a convenience store trash barrel.
Why She Got Parole After 30 Years
Wisconsin law made Esker eligible for parole. Inmates who received life sentences between July 1, 1988, and December 31, 1999, follow different rules.
Under that statute, life-sentenced inmates must serve a minimum of 13 years and four months before parole eligibility. The parole board can release inmates it believes have been rehabilitated after serving at least 25% of their sentences.
Esker became eligible for parole in February 2018. Her first hearing was in December 2017. The commission deferred her release multiple times before finally granting it in June 2019.
Current Wisconsin law is much stricter. Truth-in-sentencing laws now require convicts to serve every day of their sentences. The parole board no longer handles these cases.
Public Reaction to Her Release
Cihaski’s family opposed Esker’s release. During the 1990 trial, Lisa’s mother, Shirley Cihaski, told the court: “Lori Esker took something very precious to me.”
The political backlash came years later. In 2022, Wisconsin Republicans included Esker in a list of “killers and rapists” released under the Evers administration. The GOP criticized what it called a “parole spree.”
The Republican Party of Wisconsin stated, “It’s important that these communities are aware of the impact Tony Evers’ soft-on-crime policies have all across the state.”
The Made-for-TV Movie
The case inspired “Beauty’s Revenge” (also called “Midwest Obsession”). It aired on NBC in 1995 and later on Lifetime.
The movie dramatized how Esker drove 150 miles to Cihaski’s workplace, strangled her with a belt, and removed her engagement ring. The case received massive news coverage because of Esker’s dairy princess title and the woman-on-woman nature of the crime.
Robert Imrie, an Associated Press reporter at the time, said: “It just rocks the community, and what made it so different it was a woman-on-woman crime.”
What Happens If She Violates Parole?
Esker remains on parole for life. She’s not free — she’s serving her sentence in the community.
If she violates parole conditions, she goes back to prison immediately. A new parole eligibility date would be established. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections maintains strict supervision over life-sentenced parolees.
Parole violations can include:
- Failing to report to the parole agent
- Committing new crimes
- Leaving the state without permission
- Violating no-contact orders
- Failing drug or alcohol tests
Wisconsin keeps parolee addresses confidential. The DOC won’t release Esker’s specific street address. This balances public safety with privacy rights and reintegration goals.
We know she’s in Racine based on 2022 political documents and investigative reports. Multiple sources confirmed Racine as her parole location.
Some community members want more transparency. They argue the public has a right to know where violent offenders live. Others say privacy helps successful reintegration.
Final Thoughts
Lori Esker lives in Racine, Wisconsin, under supervised parole. She’ll remain on parole for life unless it’s revoked. Her case continues to generate interest because of its shocking nature and the political controversy surrounding Wisconsin’s parole policies.
The murder of Lisa Cihaski devastated a family and community. More than 35 years later, the case still raises questions about justice, rehabilitation, and public safety.
Esker was released after serving 30 years, the time Wisconsin law deemed sufficient. Whether that’s justice depends on who you ask. What’s certain is that she’ll live the rest of her life under state supervision, never fully free from the consequences of that September night in 1989.
