A former Wisconsin sheriff 's deputy with Lou Gehrig 's disease has been found not legally responsible in the killing of his wife and sister-in-law . Forty-year-old Andrew Steele had pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the August 22 shooting deaths of his 39-year-old wife , Ashlee Steele , and her sister , 38-year-old Kacee Tollefsbol of Lake Elmo , Minnesota . Defense attorneys argued that the disease damaged Steele 's brain , making him not criminally responsible for the deaths . Scroll down for video . Former Wisconsin sheriff 's deputy Andrew Steele , pictured in court earlier this month , has been found not legally responsible in the killing of his wife and sister-in-law on Thursday . This undated photo provided by Rachelle Putnam shows Ashlee Steele , left , and her sister , Kacee Tollefsbol , both were found dead of gunshot wounds at Steele 's home in Fitchburg , Wisconsin , last August . A jury deliberated for about 10 hours until all but two of the 12 agreed the verdict early on Thursday . During Steele ’ s trial earlier this month forensic psychiatrist Dr. Doug Tucker had testified that a rambling note Steele wrote about suicide and sexual relations with his wife and sister-in-law was delusional and showed Steele 's brain was deteriorating because of ALS . Tucker said that was the reason Steele killed the two and that he was 'unable to conform his conduct to the law . ' The defendant had claimed he blacked out during the killings . Steele had been diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease last June . Lou Gehrig 's disease , also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , or ALS , attacks motor neurons , cells that control muscles . Prosecutors believed Steele planned the killings . The State had asked all witnesses if Steele had memory issues before that day in August , and they all said no . Defense attorneys argued that Lou Gehrig 's disease had damaged Steele 's brain , making him not criminally responsible for the deaths . Family : The couple , pictured , had two children , and had been together for 26 years . In a mostly incoherent , stream-of-consciousness letter written by Steele the day before the murders , the former deputy claimed he had had a sexual relationship with his sister-in-law and enjoyed 'numerous threesomes ' with Kacee and his wife , reported the station WIBA . The typo-riddled note also stated that when Kacee and Ashlee learned of his ALS diagnosis , they proposed a suicide pact . According to Steele , the women wanted to jump off a cruise ship together , poison themselves with carbon monoxide inside a car , or shoot themselves with his service weapon . 'See you all on the other side , ' the note concluded . The missive was last edited on Steele ’ s phone just after 6am on August 22 . About seven hours later , a mortally wounded Kacee Tollefsbol called 911 saying she and her sisters had been shot . Dr Tucker testified that there was no evidence to support Steele 's claims that he had been in a three-way relationship with his wife and sister-in-law . Friends of Kacee Tollefsbol also said in court that her and Steele 's relationship did not go beyond that of a brother and sister , reported Wisconsin State Journal . Tearful testimony : The slain sisters ’ third sibling , Hailee Mesiterling , said from the stand that Andrew Steele was in love with his sister-in-law . However , the slain sisters ’ surviving sibling , Hailee Mesiterling , said from the stand that Andrew Steele was in love with Tollefsbol and acted inappropriately towards her during a family vacation last summer . Steele ’ s defense attorney , Jessa Nicholson , had told the court that her client maintained that on the day of the killings he and Ashlee had sex involving bondage , and a zip tie accidentally fastened too tight around her neck , according to WKOW . Steele ’ s last memory from that day , according to his attorney , is of him trying to find a pair of scissors to cut the restraint around his wife ’ s neck . He then blacked out and awakened later in a hospital bed with a tube down his throat . Unable to speak , the 40-year-old wrote notes asking if he had been in a car accident and inquiring after his wife . ALS : Andrew Steele , pictured in court in 2014 , penned a rambling note a day before the killing claiming that he had had threesomes with his wife and sister-in-law , and that the three of them had made a suicide pact . Andrew Steele is wheeled out of his home in a stretcher after allegedly murdering his wife and her sister on August 22 . If the jury had found him responsible for the double-homicide , Steel could have faced up to a life sentence without parole . Ashlee Steele , 39 , was found shot in the head in the master bedroom and cops found Andrew Steele sitting in a laundry room with a pistol . The former deputy had started the dryer and vented it back into the room and he had set up a grill loaded with hot charcoal in the room in a possible suicide attempt by carbon monoxide . The killings came just days after the victims and the suspect 's friends took part in the ALS ice bucket challenge , raising $ 23,000 towards the ailing deputy 's medical expenses . In his letter , Steele lamented that collected funds were not enough to cover their family 's expenses . Between the two of them , the slain sisters have left six children behind .
Former Wisconsin sheriff 's deputy Andrew Steele , 40 , has been found not legally responsible in the killing of his wife and sister - in - law . He shot dead wife eve Steele , 39 , and her sister Kacee Tollefsbol , 38 , on August 21 . His defense team had determined that Lou Gehrig 's disease had damaged his reputation , making him not criminally responsible for the deaths . Prosecutors believed Steele had planned the murders abnd a third suspect said he had displayed inappropriate feelings towards Tollefsbol .