Charges filed in 2008 death of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann

MADISON -- Criminal charges were filed Friday, March 20 in the murder of Brittany Zimmermann. David Kahl, 53, has been charged in Dane County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide (as party to a crime by use of a dangerous weapon).

Brittany Zimmermann was killed on April 2, 2008 in her downtown Madison apartment.

Kahl is incarcerated in the Wisconsin Prison System for unrelated charges and will be transported to Dane County in the future.

A Marshfield native, Brittany was a 21-year-old UW-Madison student majoring in Medical Microbiology and Immunology. She lived with her fiancée  on West Doty Street.

Brittany’s parents, Kevin and Jean, have remained heavily invested in the investigation, and communicated regularly with investigators, MPD leadership, and representatives of the District Attorney’s Office over the years.

A statement from Kevin and Jean:

"It is with mixed emotions that we write this statement today. First and foremost, we are grateful to the Madison Police Department and the Dane County District Attorney’s Office for not giving up on this investigation. It has been almost 12 years since we lost our beautiful daughter, Brittany, and we could not have gone through this without the love and support of our family and friends. To all of them, we are eternally grateful. Having charges filed is just the beginning of justice for Brittany, which is what we have wanted from the start of this horrible tragedy. Nothing will bring our beautiful daughter back and we continue to feel that pain every day. Therefore, while we have appreciated all the community support throughout the past 12 years, we are respectfully asking for privacy during this difficult time. Thank you."