Greenfield soldier sentenced; pleaded guilty to stalking charge
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Stuart Rutowski on Friday, June 28 to 7 ½ years in prison plus an additional five years of extended supervision in connection with a stalking charge.
On June 18, Rutowski entered a guilty plea to the stalking charge. An attempted first-degree intentional homicide charge was dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing.
Case details
Rutowski, a U.S. soldier from Greenfield, was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors say he sent text messages to his parents about wanting to be a serial killer.
A criminal complaint states phone records show Rutowski admitted to leaving a box in the woods which had a knife, rope and serial killer costume. Prosecutors said a U.S. Army First Lieutenant heard from Rutowski's parents, who were concerned about the messages he sent them.
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Greenfield soldier accused of stalking, attempted homicide enters plea
A soldier from Greenfield accused of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and stalking pleaded not guilty and was bound over for trial Tuesday.
Rutowski was also accused of stalking and wanting to kill a woman he graduated with from Whitnall High School earlier this year. A police detective reviewed videos on the defendant's phone. They showed instances in which Rutowski expressed "his intentions to kill the girl he was stalking," the complaint said. They also showed off items like a black gown, mask and a knife. The detective also searched the then-18-year-old's room "and found a notebook containing the word 'kill' written multiple times."
Army investigators indicated Rutowski joined the Army in June 2023 and was subsequently administratively expelled for this investigation.