Kenosha man, dog found dead; jury finds Justin Tercek guilty
Justin Tercek
KENOSHA, Wis. - A Kenosha County jury on Tuesday, April 21, found Justin Tercek guilty of all charges against him in connection with the stabbing deaths of a man and dog in February 2025.
Tercek was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, mistreatment of animals causing death, burglary and criminal damage to property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17. Tercek faces a mandatory life sentence. The court’s discretion is limited to whether Tercek will ever be eligible for parole.
Case details
What we know:
The Kenosha Police Department said they responded to a report from a homeowner on Monday morning, Feb. 3, 2025, saying someone possibly entered his home and that his back door was broken. It happened around 11:40 a.m. near 18th and 85th. The home was checked at that time and nobody was found inside.
Around 2:30 p.m., the KPD responded to the same home for another burglary complaint. The caller reportedly observed blood outside the back door and the door was forced open.
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After arriving at the scene, officers discovered a deceased 52-year-old man in the basement, with an apparent knife wound. They also located a dog with a similar wound that passed away shortly after officers arrived.
Police deployed several SWAT team members to clear the house to ensure that nobody was hiding inside. As soon as the officers discovered that the home was a crime scene, several detectives and officers were sent to start a homicide investigation.
Tercek was identified as a person of interest in this case. Tercek was arrested after being spotted in an alley near 50th and 22nd.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.