Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story (true story)

2012-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

The movie Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story came to tv as a movie based on a true story in 1994. The movie is also known as Victim of Rage. The real names were used in the movie.

Photo of Donna Yaklich

2012-01-24T11:44:00.001-08:00

Photo of Dennis Yaklich

2012-01-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Policeman Dennis Yaklich

Cries Unhead The Donna Yaklich Story Based on This Case

2008-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

A woman accused of arranging the shotgun slaying of her husband to stop him from beating her surrendered to authorities Saturday, police said.Donna Yaklich, 30, who was jailed after returning from a Caribbean vacation, was scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and soliciting a murder. Her husband, Dennis, was shot to death Dec. 12 in the front yard of his home.Mrs. Yaklich hired two brothers to kill her husband, who was a police officer, police said.Charles Allen Greenwell, 16, had been charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a plea-bargain agreement.Greenwell, sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison, said Mrs. Yaklich had arranged the killing because her husband was beating her.His brother, Edward, 25, also has been charged with murder in the slaying.Mrs. Yaklich said she was innocent, said District Attorney Gus Sandstrom.

A woman serving a 40-year prison sentence in the slaying of her husband wants to change her name.Donna Yaklich says she is not the same woman she was when she hired two brothers to gun down her husband, Dennis, a narcotics detective, in 1985 in front of his home in Avondale, near Pueblo. Yaklich wants to change her name to Donna Leigh."During 13 years of incarceration, I have developed into a woman to which the connotations associated with the name Donna Yaklich no longer apply," Yaklich wrote in her application. "I need to take steps to literally detach from that title."The name change was originally granted on Aug. 14 but it was not published in a newspaper within the required 20 days, so Yaklich will have to submit a new application, a Fremont County Court clerk said.Charles Greenwell, 16 at the time of the slaying, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. His brother, Eddie, was sentenced to 30 years.LOAD-DATE: October 20, 2001

An Avondale man has been paroled after serving 18 years for the contract killing of Pueblo police narcotics officer Dennis Yaklich.Charles Greenwell, 34, was 16 years old when he and his brother, Edward Greenwell, now 43, gunned down Yaklich outside his home in the driveway of his Avondale home east of Pueblo. Charles Greenwell was discharged from prison on Nov. 18, officials said.During his prison term, Charles Greenwell was convicted of a felony contraband charge for having a knife and a misdemeanor contraband charge for having a marijuana cigarette. He also participated in group therapy and obtained a GED.The Greenwells testified that Yaklich's wife, Donna Yaklich, offered them $45,000 to kill her husband, whom she claimed was abusive.Donna Yaklich, now 48, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for commissioning the hit. She was denied parole earlier this year. Her expected release date is in 2024.Edward Greenwell was sentenced to 30 years in prison for Yaklich's murder. He is eligible for a parole hearing this month. Barring early parole, his estimated date of release from prison is in February 2011.Greenwell and his brother, Charles, contracted with Yaklich's wife, to kill the detective, a family friend. They ambushed Yaklich on Dec. 12, 1985.At his hearing, Edward Greenwell said Mrs. Yaklich coerced him into participating in the murder because he believed she was "being abused mentally and physically."He said Mrs. Yaklich had promised to pay him $45,000 from life insurance proceeds. He was paid $5,000.LOAD-DATE: November 30, 2003
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Tid Bits

Donna was an aerobics instructor (very pretty too)
Mr. Yaklich was very muscular and was once Mr. Colorado.