Milwaukee kidnapping trial, 'Ripoff Romeo' competent to proceed
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge on Friday ruled that Timothy Olson, a man once dubbed the "Ripoff Romeo," has the mental capacity to stand trial.
Timothy Olson
The backstory:
FOX6 Investigators first reported on Olson 14 years ago for stealing money from women who he'd met on dating websites. Four years ago, he was charged with identity theft, sexual assault and kidnapping – three cases, three different victims.
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Olson tried to stall his long-awaited kidnapping trial again this week.
"I think this hearing is extremely important. My life is at stake," he said.
Letters Timothy Olson wrote to court
Since prosecutors charged Olson with kidnapping a 79-year-old Franklin woman at gunpoint, he has flooded the court with handwritten letters.
"I don’t know if you can see what I’m holding up, it’s about an inch thick," said John Thaddeus Wasielewski, stand-by defense counsel.
Friday's hearing was supposed to happen on Thursday, but Olson claimed he fell and bumped his head inside his Milwaukee County Jail cell. A nurse sent him to a hospital out of an abundance of caution, but doctors found no serious health effects.
Doctor disputes claims
What they're saying:
Olson claims that judges, prosecutors and even his own attorneys are conspiring against him. He has fired seven court-appointed attorneys.
"It was very tough to get through staff harassment and mental torture at the jail on a daily basis," he said.
Timothy Olson in court on March 6, 2026.
Olson's trial is scheduled to begin on Monday. He claims to be suffering from memory loss, hallucinations and sleep deprivation after a series of falls inside his jail cell that no one else witnessed.
"I think I should be allowed to recover from what has happened in the last few months before being railroaded through a trial," he said.
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Dr. Isabella Campanini, a state psychologist, evaluated Olson at Mendota Mental Health Center last month.
"He did appear very evasive and guarded when I met with him," she said. "He told me he couldn’t remember his birth date."
When Campanini offered to do formal memory testing, she said Olson asked to stop the interview. She diagnosed him with an antisocial personality disorder and made note of a previous diagnosis of "malingering."
Mendota Mental Health Institute
"Malingering is essentially feigning of psychiatric symptoms for secondary gain," she said.
In other words, the doctor believes he's faking it.
"She should be embarrassed to be a doctor and make this type of diagnosis," said Olson.
Headed to trial
What's next:
Judge Mark Sanders took little time to render a decision, saying Olson is "clearly and abundantly competent." Whether he is guilty will be up to a jury.
The kidnapping trial is scheduled to begin in front of Judge Kristy Yang on Monday.
The Source: FOX6 Investigators was in court for Friday's hearing and referenced prior coverage of the cases involving Olson.