A Kenosha County jury on Tuesday, April 21, found Justin Tercek guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and related charges in the February 2025 stabbing deaths of a man and his dog. The verdict closes a case that rattled the city’s south side and sends Tercek toward a July sentencing that will almost certainly keep him behind bars for life.
Jury convicts on all counts
Jurors convicted Tercek on every charge in front of them: first-degree intentional homicide, mistreatment of animals causing death, burglary and criminal damage to property, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Prosecutors told the jury the Feb. 3, 2025 attack left the homeowner and his dog dead inside a house in the 8500 block of 18th Avenue. Tercek now faces a mandatory life term, with sentencing set for July 17.
Crime scene and victim
Police say officers first responded around 11:40 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2025 to a report of a possible break-in and found a forced back door. They cleared the scene, then returned about 2:30 p.m. when a caller reported blood outside the home. Inside the basement, officers discovered the 52-year-old homeowner with an apparent knife wound and his dog, which later died, according to TMJ4. Local reports have identified the victim as 52-year-old Andrew Pfannkuche, who had moved into the house only days before the attack.
Arrest, courtroom drama
Investigators quickly focused on a person of interest and arrested Tercek that evening after officers spotted him in an alley near 50th Street and 22nd Avenue, police records show. He was initially held on a $1.5 million bond, according to CBS58. Initial arrest coverage in February 2025 also detailed the swift move from investigation to custody.
The trial itself was not without drama, as defense attorneys sought sanctions and the judge briefly paused proceedings after discovery missteps by the prosecutor, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Legal implications
Under Wisconsin law, first-degree intentional homicide is charged under Wis. Stat. § 940.01 and carries a mandatory life sentence. Judges, however, retain discretion to decide whether and when a defendant may be considered for parole, as outlined in state statutes and case law summarized by the Wisconsin Statutes. Defense attorneys have already signaled possible post-trial challenges, and any attempt to adjust Tercek’s ultimate sentence exposure will play out at or after the July 17 hearing.
What’s next
Tercek is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on July 17, when the judge will decide his parole eligibility, or rule it out entirely under state law, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Investigators and prosecutors point to the case as an example of a homicide probe that moved from a broken door report to an arrest in a matter of hours, and now to a conviction that will echo across Kenosha’s south side for years.
