"It is our belief that it was not Mike's intent to harm Jennifer."

- Green Bay police spokesman Gregory R. Urban.

On the night of June 13, 1999, Mike Gilbert, 27, and his wife of three years Jennifer, 25, decided that they needed to spice up there lovemaking. Obviously they had become bored with simple sex and decided it was time to add some danger to the experience. So they came to a decision to try erotic asphyxia.

What is erotic asphyxia?

Well, one boffin described it as "the practice involves one partner depriving the other of oxygen close to or at orgasm." He also said it is "a little-known technique for heightening the intensity of an orgasm." As someone who has tried this I would back up this guys claim that it heightens ones orgasm.

But for poor Mike and Jennifer, it went horribly wrong. Mike must have really gotten carried away with the whole orgasm thing because he forgot to release the pressure to his young brides neck causing her to die. Bummer.

I'm sure that some of you people reading this probably don't think it was an accident. In fact I reckon most of you think Mike did it on purpose. Well, if you did, you're wrong. As police said when Jennifer's body was discovered,

"There were no signs of her struggling or marks or injuries to her to indicate a struggle or resistance." The coroner (or state medical officer) followed this up with, "Jennifer's death would probably be classified as second-degree reckless homicide. Because of the facts surrounding her death, Michael most likely would not have faced charges."

So, Mike was safe from prosecution. It was an accident, not his fault, well not completely his fault, but unfortunately when faced with his dead wife filled with his semen, he couldn't see that. He felt a whole load of guilt, and I guess he could only see one way out of the trouble he perceived. But before following the only course of action he could see, he had a nap.

The next day he put his plan into action, he went to the bedrooms of the couples two kiddies and strangled Evangeline, 1, and Ivan, 2 months. I guess he didn’t want them growing up knowing the old man was into weird sex. Or maybe he was embarrassed that he screwed up, or, perhaps it was the whole accidental murder of their mother thing.

So, the kids were dead, the wife was dead, what did Mike had left?

Nothing worth living for it would seem. But he wasn't really sure how he was going to go about killing himself, so he tried pretty much everything.

Over the next 24 hours he drank all the alcohol in the house, took almost all the drugs in the house, then, just to make certain he wasn't going to be breathing the next time someone saw him he went into the garage and started the car, but not before slitting his wrist.

So, according to police he died from "a combination of carbon monoxide poisoning and large doses of drugs and alcohol." At least he didn't screw that up.

The next day, Jennifer’s dad, upon hearing that Mike hadn't been into work for two days went out to see what was wrong. Finding all the door locked he grabbed a ladder and climbed in through an open upstairs window. I guess he didn't like what he saw because within minutes police were all over the place. And that's pretty much where this story ends folks.

Some Interesting Bits & Quotes

"If the children were alive and Michael were alive, I do not believe he would be facing intentional homicide charges in the case of Jennifer's death." - The head investigator speaks.

"We wish it hadn't happened," an unnamed relative said. "If only Michael had called for help after he realised Jenny was dead. He obviously lost it. But we don't feel any anger toward him."

Based on accounts of police, neighbours and co-workers, the Gilberts had no record of domestic violence and lived quietly in their two-story home.

The Wacky World of Murder

Mike Gilbert

Associated Press, Jun 19, 1999

GREEN BAY, WI — A sexual act that "just went wrong" killed Jennifer Gilbert, and her despondent husband may have thought about calling for help before killing his two young children and then himself, the family said Friday.

The tragedy has focused attention on a rare behavior, known as erotic suffocation or strangulation, as a way to enhance sex.

Tami Gerondale, a cousin of Jennifer Gilbert's, said that after she died, her husband, Mike, "touched the phone several times" but nobody has come forward and said they talked to him.

"It took him awhile to decide what he was going to do. For at least six hours he contemplated different ways. We will always wonder why he chose to do what he did," she said.

The four family members, Jennifer, 25, Mike, 27, their 1-year-old daughter, Evangeline, and 2-month-old son, Ivan, were found dead by a relative Tuesday. They had been asphyxiated.

There will be a single funeral for the family at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Suamico where the couple was married 2 years ago, Gerondale said.

For the family, there was some relief in learning the couple was engaged in a sexual act that went horribly wrong and the tragedy unfolded from there, she said.

"The way she died, she was not threatened," Gerondale said. "It was a loving act on her part and Mike's part. It was a sexual act that just went wrong."

She declined to be more specific, citing respect for the couple's privacy.

Police have only said Jennifer Gilbert apparently allowed Michael to asphyxiate her by putting something around her neck but he did not mean to kill her.

Police continued Friday to refuse to release any more details, other than saying investigators had recovered what they believe was used to strangle Jennifer Gilbert.

There is a form of sexual play called asphyxiophilia, in which one partner chokes the other during sex. It's designed to deprive the brain of oxygen, resulting in a form of giddiness and euphoria — similar to alcohol or drug intoxication — as a way to enhance orgasm, experts say.

"There is no evidence it does. The only possibility is the feeling of terror makes you feel more excited," said Dr. Janet Hyde, a professor of psychology with a speciality in human sexuality at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Studies and research indicate perhaps 300 to 500 people die each year from the behavior, Hyde said.

"People need to be warned it is dangerous. We have a great case to prove it," she said.

But why Michael Gilbert, after accidentally killing his wife, would engage in more death instead of contacting authorities or other relatives remained a mystery.