A commercial targeting Eric Toney over a plea deal in the 1990 murder case has reopened old wounds for the victim's parents, who say they were never consulted.
A campaign attack ad running in the Wisconsin attorney general's race is bringing back painful memories for the family of Berit Beck, whose daughter was murdered decades ago.
The campaign commercial is from the Democratic Attorney General Association's People's Lawyer Project, a group backing Attorney General Josh Kaul.
The ad goes after Republican opponent Eric Toney for a plea deal in the Berit Beck case. The ad does not mention or show Berit's name or image, but it includes a recreated crime scene.
For Diane and David Beck, the commercial has reopened wounds that never fully healed.
"It's like somebody stabbing you in the heart right now. We were never asked about was it OK to do anything," Diane Beck said.
Diane and David Beck have endured heartache that is unimaginable.
Their 18-year-old daughter Berit was murdered in 1990 — the Sturtevant teen's van was found in a Fond du Lac County parking lot. Her cold case would eventually lead to a trial in 2016 that ended without a conviction in a hung jury.
Dennis Brantner eventually accepted a plea deal in 2018 without admitting guilt, but put him in prison — a deal the Becks signed off on with District Attorney Eric Toney.
"It doesn't get any easier over the years. It just, it brings the hurt back again. It's like, OK, sleepless nights are there again," Diane Beck said.
TMJ4 caught up with Josh Kaul at a campaign event in Milwaukee. Kaul says he's not in control - nor can he legally coordinate - with an independent group about the ad.
"My heart goes out to any family that has gone through a tragedy like that, I think it is vitally important whether we're talking about the criminal justice system or political advertisements to ensure that concerns from victims of crime and their family members are being treated with respect," Kaul said.
"What I can control is what our campaign does, as you know, this is advertising from an independent expenditure group," Kaul said.
Toney was the lead prosecutor in the Beck case.
"One of the things that we're seeing with Josh Kaul and his allies with these political ads is there's nothing that's too low for them," Eric Toney said.
After 36 years, the Becks want peace of mind. "We want the ad taken down. We don't want to see it anymore," Diane Beck said.
TMJ4 reached out to DAGA for a comment about the Beck family's concerns but has not heard back from them.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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