UW-Madison Physician and Husband Found Dead by a Jogger

University of Wisconsin physician Dr. Beth Potter and her husband Robin Carre were murdered by their daughter’s boyfriend after being kicked out for not social distancing, prosecutors say. 

A runner discovered Potter and Carre around 6 a.m. on March 31, lying in a ditch in the UW Arboretum near the intersection of Arboretum Drive and North Wingra Drive, according to the criminal complaint issued by the Dane County prosecutors. 

Also according to the complaint, Potter showed some signs of life and was transferred to the University of Wisconsin hospital where she later died. The officer reported that it was 30 degrees outside, and yet Potter was dressed only in her pajamas with no shoes. Similarly, Carre was reported to be lying face down wearing only his underwear and, again, no shoes. 

Surrounding the bodies were several .357 SIG shell casings, along with blood splatter and pooling that suggests the victims were shot several times in the ditch, according to UW Detective Peter Grimyser in the complaint. 

Khari Sanford, 18, has been charged with two counts of first degree murder using a deadly weapon. Sanford knew the victims through their adopted daughter, Miriam Potter, whom he was dating at the time. The maximum sentence for first degree murder is life in prison, and the addition of the use of a deadly weapon adds a maximum of 10 years to his sentence, according to police. 

A friend of Sandford’s, Alijah Larrue, 18, has also been charged with two counts of first degree murder. The additional charges of using a deadly weapon were not added on to Larrue’s charges. 

Sanford’s initial appearance was far from traditional, as it was conducted via zoom due to COVID-19. The proceedings were posted on youtube for public viewing.

In attendance was Sanford, his defense attorney Diana Van Rybroek, defense attorney Michael Covey, Dane County Assistant District Attorney William Brown, and Court Commissioner Jason Hanson. 

During the eerie proceedings, Sanford can be seen peering through a small hole in the door to see the screen. Before they began, Handson asked if Sanford could hear them, to which he replied with a thumbs-up. Sanford wore a surgical mask and did not speak through the entire proceeding. 

Sanford had been living with Miriam and the victims up until about two weeks prior to their deaths. Potter and Carre moved Sanford and Miriam into an AirBnB because they were not practicing social distancing, according to Potter’s close friend who is referred to as LG in the criminal complaint. 

Potter’s supervisor at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics informed police that a medication she takes puts her at greater risk of infection, making social distancing even more important. 

LG told police that she and Potter took a walk together on March 30, the day she died. According to the criminal complaint, LG told Detective Nielsen that the move was not a happy one, and that Miriam said things like “You don’t care about me” and “You don’t talk to me” while Sanford remained more quiet. 

“Miriam and Khari Sanford literally sat in her bedroom all the time and ordered food and didn’t really communicate with Beth Potter” LG told Detective Nielsen. 

When UW-Madison Police interviewed Miriam, she said that on the night in question, she and Sanford stayed in and watched Hangover 2 and did not leave the AirBnB after 10:15 p.m., according to the complaint. Miriam also told police that her father had let her borrow his white minivan while her and Sanford stayed in the AirBnB. 

According to the complaint, traffic camera footage shows a white minivan with the same unique bumper stickers as Carre’s minivan several times near the victim’s home and the arboretum late in the night on March 30 and in the early morning of March 31.

That could be a coincidence, except that Madison Police also checked Miriam’s text messages, where she pleads with Sanford to bring the car back to the AirBnB, as well as several other texts to a friend when Sanford apparently returned to the temporary residence with the van. 

“At least bring the car back and have someone get you from here. I don’t feel safe here” Miriam said in a text to Sanford, according to the criminal complaint. 

Sanford also allegedly confessed to the murder to a friend identified in the complaint as DF on March 31. The friend described Sanford’s behavior as “excited and frantic” while he paced around the room. 

“Sanford made statements on the phone indicating he was scared that a victim could have survived that would implicate him in the homicide” the complaint says. “DF reports to Agent Folkers that Khari Sanford then got off the phone and told him that he had shot the people in the Arboretum. DF reports that Sanford said he had shot them in the ‘back of the head’”.

The information about the victims being shot in the head had not yet been released to the public at the time of the police’s interview with DF, which occured on April 4, according to the complaint. 

While Sanford prepares his defense, community members and family friends have come together to support the victims’ family. A private facebook group with 134 members has been organized to communicate and coordinate on assistance. 

“We are all devastated and mourning the tragic deaths of Robin and Beth. As many of you know, the Kane Melnick family has enveloped the kids, and are caring for their immediate needs. We can help take care of other needs. Please tune in here to find out about meals and other tasks that need to be done” said the facebook group’s description.

Robin Carre wasn’t just a soccer coach, he also coached high school students through the challenges of preparing for and applying to college. According to his Linkedin, he focused on finding good-fit schools and building balanced applications equipped with each student’s unique skills. 

The School of Medicine and Public Health posted a tribute to Potter on their website, remembering her passion and her many contributions to the University of Wisconsin – Madison where she was an associate professor, physician and Medical Director of Employee Health Services for UW Health.

“We will care for patients and attend to all of the other meaningful work of our department today and in the coming days because we must, and we will do so, as we have been, under the most extraordinary circumstances — and we will keep Beth’s legacy in our hearts as we step forward”  said William Schwab, interim chair of the department in the tribute. “Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there is added pain in not being able to gather together directly to comfort each other, but we will take time to reflect and console in a way that sustains.”

Similar to the Initial Appearance conducted via zoom, the UW-Madison Police department recorded and posted what would normally be done in-person. In this case, it was a press release. 

“Undoubtedly, this unspeakable crime adds to our community’s anxiety, sadness, and feelings of uncertainty” the officer said in the recorded release. “We know that questions about what happened to Beth and Robin — and why — remain. We pledge to provide as many answers as we can, when we can, as this investigation moves forward.”