Trista Hrabak Case: Murder, Guilty Plea, and Sentence

The Trista Hrabak case is a Wisconsin murder-for-hire prosecution in which Hrabak was convicted of orchestrating the March 2014 shooting death of her ex-husband, Daniel Raven, at his home in Barron County. She pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide in December 2014 and was sentenced in February 2015 to 15 years in state prison followed by 10 years of extended supervision. Her boyfriend, Ian Skjerly, fired the fatal shots; an accomplice, Robert McBain, drove the getaway car. Both were also convicted and sent to prison.

The Killing of Daniel Raven

Daniel Raven, 33, was shot twice with a .30-06 semi-automatic rifle while sitting on a couch watching television in the lower level of his home in the Town of Clinton, north and east of Poskin, in the early hours of March 10, 2014.¹

Skjerly and McBain arrived at the house around 11:30 p.m. on March 9. McBain cut the headlights at the end of the driveway, and Skjerly approached the residence on foot with the rifle. His first attempt to fire failed when the weapon jammed. He returned to the car, McBain drove off a short distance so the malfunction could be cleared, and the two came back. Skjerly then fired two shots through a window, killing Raven. Afterward, they dumped the rifle along their route and threw away the clothes Skjerly had worn.²³

The plan was not improvised. According to the criminal complaint, the conspirators began plotting in November 2013 and visited Raven’s home at least six times before the killing, each time intending to carry it out.¹

Hrabak’s Role and Motive

Hrabak drove the plot. Investigators recovered text messages she sent to Skjerly making her intent explicit. In one, she wrote, “He has to die. It has to happen now; it has to happen now.” In another, she offered more money: “Be $100 more if he goes tonight.”⁴ She had purchased the semi-automatic rifle used in the killing several months in advance.¹

Hrabak and Raven married in August 2005 and divorced in April 2013, and they shared two children. The relationship had been violent. In January 2010, Hrabak filed a restraining order against Raven, alleging he had sent her to the emergency room, slammed her hand in a truck door, and sexually assaulted her.⁵ Skjerly told investigators the divorce had been “tumultuous” and that Hrabak wanted Raven “gone as soon as possible.” The criminal complaint pointed to a more immediate trigger: Raven had reported Hrabak for welfare fraud.⁶ There were also unresolved financial disputes after the divorce, including an argument over a trailer and property.

The Skjerly plan was not her first try. Both Skjerly and McBain told police that Hrabak had previously attempted to hire someone else to kill Raven, and Barron County District Attorney Angela Beranek confirmed there was evidence another person had been paid to do the job before the final plan came together.⁴

Arrests and Charges

All three suspects were arrested on March 12, 2014, two days after the shooting. They were initially charged in Barron County Circuit Court with being party to a crime of first-degree intentional homicide, and bail was set at $250,000 each.⁷⁸ Both Skjerly and McBain gave detailed statements describing the months of planning. Skjerly said the group had been “aware of the plan to kill Daniel Raven to make their lives better.”¹

Hrabak’s Guilty Plea

On December 1, 2014, Hrabak pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree reckless homicide under an agreement with prosecutors.⁹ Her attorney, John O’Boyle, said Hrabak conceded that her statements “meet the definition of the charge” and that she had been “so worn down by the events of the night” that she failed to call police or warn Raven that Skjerly was planning to kill him.¹⁰

The Sentence

Hrabak was sentenced on February 12, 2015, by Judge James C. Babler. Speaking through her attorney, she told the court she was “not the horrible monster” she had been portrayed to be, said she had made “poor choices,” described her relationship with Skjerly as physically abusive, and claimed her text messages had not been meant the way investigators read them. Brian Balts, speaking for Raven’s family, told the court, “Dan paid the ultimate price. No sentence you give will come close to the sentence Dan received.”¹¹

Judge Babler said the plea agreement would be “painful and dissatisfying” for the family and that he would have preferred a trial. Pointing to the conflicting stories the three defendants had told, he said, “I think there is a fourth version — the truth,” and noted that without a trial that version would never be explored.¹¹ He sentenced Hrabak to 15 years at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution and 10 years of extended supervision, and ordered $5,690 in restitution.⁹

What Happened to Skjerly and McBain

Ian Skjerly, who fired the shots, pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional homicide and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2014.⁹ He told detectives he had been “trying to save Trista Hrabak’s life,” describing her as suicidal and despondent over problems Raven had caused.⁶

Robert McBain was recruited because he claimed to have been “involved in similar incidents” in Chicago.¹ He was paid $120 before the killing and promised another $500 afterward.⁴ He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of party to the crime of second-degree intentional homicide and was sentenced on February 10, 2015, to 15 years of initial confinement and 10 years of extended supervision. At sentencing he called his involvement “out of character,” blamed financial pressure, and said he had never believed Skjerly would go through with it. Prosecutors accepted coercion as a mitigating factor. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed his conviction in October 2016.³

Television Coverage

The Oxygen true-crime series Snapped featured the case in Season 36, Episode 10, which aired in April 2026 and described the killing as a “planned hit” at a farm in Barron County.¹²

1
KARE 11. Prosecutor: Suspects Visited Home 6 Times Before Murder
2
Wisconsin Law Journal. Prosecutors: 6 Home Visits Preceded Man’s Slaying
3
Wisconsin Court of Appeals. State v. McBain, No. 2015AP1895-CRNM
4
Twin Cities Pioneer Press. In Western Wisconsin Murder-for-Hire, Woman Pleads Guilty
5
Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Violence Marked Relationship of Barron Man, Ex-Wife Arrested in His Death
6
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. 2014 Wisconsin Domestic Violence Homicide Report
7
Ladysmith News. Three Suspects Arrested in Barron County Homicide
8
APG Wisconsin. Plea Hearing Set in Daniel J. Raven Murder Case
9
News-Shield. Hrabak Sentenced for Reckless Homicide
10
Ladysmith News. Hrabak Pleads Guilty to Reckless Homicide
11
News-Shield. Hrabak Sentenced in Raven Murder
12
Oxygen. Snapped – Trista Hrabak