Table of Biography
Dave Laut was a former American professional Olympic medalist. Dave Laut was also a coach after his retirement as a professional shot-putter. He died in 2009 due to gunshots by his wife.
Early Life
Dave Laut was born on December 21, 1956, and he was 52 years old at the time of his demise on August 27, 2009. Talking about his family, Dave’s mother is Dotty Laut. He is a native of Findlay, Ohio, but grew up in Oxnard, California. His full name is David Lester Laut.
Likewise, talking about his educational journey, Dave attended Art Haycox Elementary School; E. O. Green Junior High School; Santa Clara High School; and Moorpark College. All these institutions are located in Ventura County. Later on, Dave attended San Jose City College and UCLA. While at UCLA, Dave became a two-time NCAA champion. Likewise, he also ranked the #1 shot-putter in the United States.
Dave Laut – Net Worth 2023
He had earned a hefty amount of earnings throughout his career. Likewise, Dave had a net worth estimation of around $2 million US dollars.
Career and Professional Life
Dave was a popular professional athlete and coach. Specifically, Dave was a shot-putter. He also participated in the Olympic games. In the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Dave Laut bagged the bronze medal.
Moreover, Dave also bagged the gold medal later at the 1979 Pan American Games. The athlete once again received the bronze at the 1981 IAAF World Cup. Further, Dave was the national champion of the United States in the shot put. He kept the title in the years 1979, 1981, 1983, and 1985.
Talking about the athlete’s personal best, his best throw was 22.02 meters. Dave made this record in August 1982 in Koblenz. Then in the year 1985, he ranked #7 in shot putter in the world and also #1 in America in the same category.
Caption: Dave playing shot put at the Olympic games. Source: The Mirror
Moreover, the American athlete tore tendons in both knees. This unfortunate incident happened when he was trying an agility test to become a firefighter. Later in 1988, Dave attempted to join the U.S. Olympic team. Unfortunately, Dave fell short at the Olympic trials. Then in the year 1997, Dave Laut was added to the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.
After his professional retirement as a shot putter, Dave worked as an assistant track coach at Ventura College. It was back in the year 1994. Moreover, Dave also served 8 seasons as the track coach. It was for Hueneme High School in the Oxnard Union High School District. Later in 2008, they promoted Dave to athletic director.
Untimely Demise
Dave Laut passed away at his home in Oxnard, California. It was on Thursday, August 27, 2009. The former Olympic athlete died after his wife shot him in the head and face six times. Dave’s wife, Jane, was arrested five years after his death. During the 3-month trial, the judge was Senior Deputy District Attorney Rameen Minoui. The senior deputy said that Jane deliberately shot Dave execution-style with a single-action Ruger revolver. Jane later hid the revolver inside a grandfather clock.
Caption: Dave’s wife, Jane, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2016. Source: Ventura County Star
Jane shared that she had shot Dave in self-defense. However, on 30 March 2016, Jane was convicted of 1st-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Previously, Dave’s wife was undergoing treatment for her depression through the clinical psychologist Katherine Emerick. Her clinical psychologist testified that Jane was diagnosed with anxiety, avoidant personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dependent personality disorder.
In an interview in 2016, Dave’s son shared that he believes Jane made the ultimate sacrifice to save his life from domestic violence. Moreover, Jane also testified that Jane raped, beat, and emotionally abused her throughout their marriage.
Sharing her story of the night of the incident, Jane said that Dave initially had the gun that night. Dave had threatened to kill Jane, Michael, and their two dogs. Their son also shared in the aforementioned interview that he never really saw Dave hit Jane. However, oftentimes Jane would tell him to go to the computer or put on headphones. Michael now (at the time of the interview) believes that his mother did it to prevent him from hearing their arguments.
Relationship Status
Dave Laut had been married to his wife Jane for 29 years at the time of his demise. Jane and Dave shared a son named Michael Laubacher. His son took his wife’s maiden name. During Jane’s trial, it was revealed that Dave wanted to divorce her and planned to take their son, Michael. Michael was only 10 years old when Dave died.
Caption: Dave in a family portrait with his wife and son. Source: CBS News
Body Measurements
Dave was 193 cm or 6 feet 3 inches tall and his weight was around 114 kg. Other than these, there is no further information regarding the late athlete’s other body measurement details like his chest-waist-hip measures, dress size, shoe size, etc. Moreover, Dave had blonde hair and blue eyes.
Dave Laut – Social Media
Dave Laut doesn’t have a personal account on any social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, etc.