Franklin motel homicide, victim identified; suspect arrested
FRANKLIN, Wis. - A man is now charged with the homicide of a woman found in a Franklin motel earlier this month.
Court filings say 41-year-old Michele Fisher was strangled to death, with prosecutors charging 37-year-old Orlando Pacheco with her death.
In the early morning of Jan. 5, 2024, Franklin police were called to the Modern 41 Motel near 27th and Ryan.
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Filings say another person who lived at the motel found Fisher's body in a room and that police found Fisher with a belt around her neck.
Pacheco was arrested last week at a Milwaukee bus stop.
Scene at Modern 41 Motel in Franklin. (Jan. 5, 2024)
A woman with him said Pacheco hired her for sex on Greenfield Avenue, choked her with a belt, and sexually assaulted her.
Court documents say police found a video on Pacheco's phone, that video taken inside the motel room showed Pacheco assaulting Fisher, as she pleaded for him to stop.
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Pacheco appeared in court Wednesday, Jan. 17, on the strangulation and sexual assault charges.
The state said in court Thursday afternoon, Jan. 18, it intends to dismiss that case, and move forward with charges in the latest case, which includes the homicide charge.
Pacheco remains in the Milwaukee County Jail.