As we reported on September 27, a grounds superintendent at a Wisconsin cemetery was accused of stealing a $2,000 Fender Telecaster from the casket of a man who had recently died.
Steve Conard, 39, was charged on September 26 with the theft of "moveable property from a corpse."
On Monday, Conard pleaded no contest to takling the cream-colored Tele from a casket at Allouez Catholic Cemetery and Chapel Mausoleum near Green Bay. Conard, who faces a potential 10 years in prison, will be sentenced in January.
A cemetery employee overheard Conard talking about the guitar: "That's a Tele, a really expensive guitar. I have to have that guitar. It's too expensive to be in a crypt." When that same employee looked in the casket the next day, the guitar was missing.
Deputies found the Tele in Conard's home. "This isn't something I normally do; I just have a respect for fine musical instruments," Conard said, according to the sheriff's department.
The Tele was returned to the family, and the man -- Randall Jourdan, 67 -- and his guitar were entombed. Jourdan's dying wish was to be buried with the instrument, his "pride and joy." Jourdan played guitar for 40 years.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
