Milwaukee man shot, killed girlfriend; no prison time

MILWAUKEE - A jury found Timothy McBride not guilty of first-degree reckless homicide by reason of mental disease or defect on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

McBride, 43, was charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend in 2020. Prosecutors said he admitted to shooting her, upset that his phone was missing.

In lieu of prison time, McBride will be committed to the state Department of Health Services for 40 years. McBride had entered a guilty plea on Sept. 15, court documents show.

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According to a criminal complaint, McBride turned himself in to Brown Deer police – walking into the police department and saying "he just killed his girlfriend." Prosecutors said he turned over a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun.

Police then responded to an address on Warbler Court, near 76th Street and Brown Deer Road, where they found the victim dead from a gunshot wound to the chest, a spent casing near the victim's body.

An investigation revealed the gun had been purchased by the victim from Fleet Farm. 

Investigators took a look at doorbell video from a neighbor, which revealed there were three groups of gunfire, four shots, then three shots and then four shots around 4 p.m. Additional video showed the victim's vehicle leaving when shots were fired, presumably driven by McBride, the complaint noted. 

During an interview with investigators, McBride told officials he was "angry because his phone was missing," noting it was missing recently and he had to get a replacement. He said his girlfriend denied taking it, but he believed she was lying, "so he shot her." He said he then decided to go get her help, firing more shots as he drove off – shooting into the condominium clubhouse office because "they were responsible for setting him up and implating a microchip in his neck," according to the complaint.

Prosecutors noted McBride said he had not been taking medication for mental health issues, and there was a call to the Warbler Court address in June for a mental health issue during which McBride was taken to the Milwaukee County mental health facility for analysis/treatment.

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