Milwaukee County Jail death, correctional officer charged

MILWAUKEE - Criminal charges have been filed against a Milwaukee County correctional officer in connection with the death of an inmate. Prosecutors charged 32-year-old Laquisha Cowser with misconduct in public office on Friday, April 21. 

Juarez-Corro was held in the Milwaukee County Jail since last fall, but in January, the 49-year-old was found dead in his cell. A criminal complaint said Cowser was assigned to check on cells but skipped some of them during her rounds, including Juarez-Corro.

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If Juarez-Corro's name sounds familiar, it's because he was one of FBI's Most Wanted.

"He systematically shot each of them in an execution-style manner," said Robert Hughes, Special Agent in Charge, Milwaukee Field Office. 

Laquisha Cowser

He is accused of crashing a family Memorial Day picnic in 2006 and killing two people.

"And wounded multiple others, including his estranged wife who was pregnant with a child," said Michael Hensle, Special Agent in Charge, Milwaukee Field Office. 

Octaviano Juarez-Corro

Juarez-Corro skipped town and was on the run for years until the FBI said a tip led to his arrest near Guadalajara in February 2022. That put the wheels of justice in motion. Now they've halted again.

The Medical Examiner's Office said his cause of death is still pending.

"This office holds itself to high standards in its service to Milwaukee County," said Sheriff Denita Ball, "and no member of MCSO is exempt from those standards. When a member of this agency is alleged to have broken the law in the performance of their duty, they will be subject to prosecution, and if they are convicted, they will face consequences as determined by a judge or a jury. "One death in our custody is one too many. But we are confident these charges demonstrate the MCSO's commitment to ensure that an independent investigation was conducted, regardless of the result."