Man says bigamy was byproduct of love

APPLETON, Wis. — Adam Marx wants to set the record straight.

Yes, he did marry another woman without divorcing current wife Karen Marx of New London. He's guilty, and he openly admits it.

"You can put that on the record: I'm guilty as charged," Marx said. "I'm guilty as charged, and I'm not going to fight it. I don't believe I deserve jail time. I just did it because I fell in love with a woman."

Adam L. Marx, 43, of La Farge, pleaded guilty to bigamy Nov. 5 and was fined $730. The felony conviction has a silver lining, in some ways, because Marx said he can now move forward with the long-awaited divorce.

"As soon as that's all cleared up, we're getting married again," Marx said of his current partner.

After a story ran last month about the Marxes, Adam said he wanted to share his side.

"I really don't care what people think, but at the same time, I don't want people thinking I'm some type of animal," Marx said. "When you hear 'bigamist,' it sounds bad, like you're going around stabbing people."

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Marx said he wasn't trying to cheat anyone or cause harm with his new marriage. In fact, he said he wasn't even sure he was still married to Karen Marx after they lost touch in Montana. The state will grant a divorce even if one party can't be found, as long as the petitioner shows a good-faith effort was made to find the second partner and then posts notice of the divorce in a newspaper.

"I thought my divorce was taken care of in Montana. I assumed a lot, and obviously, I was wrong," he said. "I'd been trying to get a hold of (Karen) for the past four years now, but I couldn't find her; I couldn't find anything."

In fact, Marx figured his estranged wife was still in Montana when police asked him to clear up the situation last month. Marx moved back to Wisconsin five years ago after losing touch with Karen. The couple previously split in 2003, a year after they got married, but Marx said he returned a few months later.

"I didn't come back for her Christmas bonus; I wanted to try and make it work," Marx said of Karen's previous claims. "I had a really good, paying job at the time, a place to live, but I did miss her, and we ended up getting back together."

And when the Marxes decided to make a fresh start in Montana, they both cashed in their 401(k)s, he said. The couple flourished in their new state. Adam got a job driving trucks for a lumber company and encouraged Karen to start her own cleaning business, he said.

"She was cleaning already for a temp agency, I said, 'Why not do it yourself and make your own money?'" he said. "So we went out and bought cleaning supplies, put out ads. She got some clients, and I ended up helping her clean houses. So I'm not such a mean person."

Eventually, their relationship soured again. Marx said Karen accused him of cheating frequently, but he said it was never true. After he came home late from work one night, his belongings were thrown out of their home the next day.

So he left — this time for good.

"I saw her once, and nothing happened. I opened the door for her, didn't even recognize her," Marx said. "As I'm walking out, I went, 'Wait, was that her?' But that was it."

Another time, he said Karen called him asking for a divorce.

"I said, 'Fine. You kicked me out, you start the paperwork,'" Marx said. "I assumed she filed the paperwork. If I would have known all of this would happen, obviously, things would be a little different."

To Marx, the story isn't about a crime; it's about love.

"I have somebody I really loved who takes care of me, and we have fun together. I wanted to marry her," Marx said. "I wanted to move on. That was my past, that's done and over. And I looked and looked, and I couldn't find (Karen)."

Unwilling to wait any longer, Marx tied the knot and hoped for the best.

"I fell in love with another woman, and if that makes me an animal, then 'roar,'" Marx said. "It got me in a little trouble, and I'm ready to deal with it."

So Marx said he'll pay his fine and get his divorce. And then?

"We can't wait to get remarried," he said of his new partner. "She's got my back."