Kenosha Police Department
KENOSHA, Wis. - An arrest has been made in connection with a 1977 cold case homicide investigation in Kenosha.
1977 homicide
What we know:
According to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, Ralph Ambrose Gianoli was found dead inside his home near 25th Avenue and 53rd Street on Sept. 7, 1977.
An autopsy later determined that Gianoli died from blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.
After all leads were exhausted, the case went unsolved.
Ralph Ambrose Gianoli
Investigation
The backstory:
In October 2021, the Kenosha Police Department’s Cold Case Unit reopened the case.
In 2022, detectives from the Kenosha Police Department, in collaboration with agents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), utilized advanced evidence-processing techniques, which resulted in the identification of a suspect in July 2024.
During the investigative review, detectives located valuable evidence that was further examined and processed. This evidence led to the identification of a new suspect, who was subsequently interviewed.
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Arrest made
What we know:
As a result of this investigation, probable cause was established to arrest 68-year-old James Terry Fowler.
On March 30, 2026, Kenosha Police Department detectives, with the assistance of local authorities, arrested Fowler on charges of first-degree homicide in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Kenosha Police Department.