Man charged in West Milwaukee stabbing that left 1 dead, 1 wounded
WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Prosecutors accuse a Milwaukee man of stabbing another man to death and wounding the mother of his children inside a West Milwaukee home on July 19.
Charges filed
In court:
The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office charged 25-year-old Luis Barahona Lopez with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Court records show he's being held in jail on $150,000 bond.
Luis Barahona Lopez
52nd and National | July 19, 2026
The backstory:
West Milwaukee police were called to a home near 52nd and National for a domestic violence incident just after 3:30 a.m. on July 19. Officers arrived and found two people who had been stabbed multiple times.
A 25-year-old West Milwaukee woman was wounded and a 28-year-old Milwaukee man died. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the homicide victim as Jose Valdivia.
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What they're saying:
According to a criminal complaint, the woman told police she was asleep in her bedroom, but she suddenly woke up to Barahona Lopez repeatedly stabbing the man and was wounded when she tried to separate the men.
The woman said she knew Barahona Lopez – they have three kids together – but did not know how he got into the home, the complaint said.
Blood on porch of West Milwaukee home after stabbing on July 19, 2026.
Suspect arrested
Dig deeper:
Police quickly issued an arrest warrant for Barahona Lopez, who had run from the scene, and arrested him a few hours later.
Once in custody, prosecutors said Barahona Lopez told police that he was "trying to work things out" with the woman, and he heard she was "with another guy."
Barahona Lopez said he found a key to the house and let himself inside, where he saw the victims through a gap in a bedroom door, according to the complaint. He said he "started to get mad, blacked out" grabbed two kitchen knives and started stabbing Valdivia while he slept.
The Source: Information in this story is from the West Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.