Waukesha homicide; Kevin Lychwick trial, defendant representing himself
Waukesha homicide; Kevin Lychwick trial, defendant representing himself
A Waukesha man charged with killing his neighbor and hiding the body is representing himself at trial, which began on Monday, June 8. Kevin Lychwick, 63, is accused of killing his neighbor, 56-year-old Carlos Maldonado, in 2024.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha man charged with killing his neighbor and hiding the body is representing himself at trial, which began on Monday, June 8. Kevin Lychwick, 63, is accused of killing his neighbor, 56-year-old Carlos Maldonado, in 2024.
Lychwick was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. He pleaded not guilty in December.
Kevin Lychwick
Testimony in trial
What they're saying:
"Quite simply, I am not guilty of this crime," Lychwick said during his opening statement to the jury.
Lychwick told the jury he hardly knew his neighbor, Carlos Maldanado. Both men lived next to each other in the same apartment building.
Kevin Lychwick
Prosecutors say Maldanado was shot in the head. His body was found in October 2024 in the woods next to the apartment building. It was covered in a tarp and sticks.
"…almost as if the person who had set it there did so intentionally in order to hide what was under that blue tarp," said Prosecutor Daniel Tombasco.
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Prosecutors told the jury that another resident at the complex had a trail camera installed. Investigators say video shows Lychwick walking into the woods in the middle of the night. But there is more.
"They found the holy grail of evidence," Tombasco said.
Kevin Lychwick trial: Prosecution opening statement
The prosecution made its opening statement in the Kevin Lychwick trial on Monday, June 8. Lychwick is accused of killing his neighbor, Carlos Maldanado in 2024.
Prosecutors showed photos of a gun police found inside Lychwick's car. Investigators say it matches the murder weapon, and had Lychwick's DNA on it. Lychwick told the jury that he never saw that gun before.
Inside Lychwick's apartment, police found what they describe as a "hit list" with Maldanado's name on it.
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"The largest warm-blooded animal that I've ever killed was a skunk that walked in front of my car," Lychwick said.
Lychwick told the jury that police altered video and audio evidence in his case. He fired his public defender, Pablo Galaviz, last week. Galaviz sat in the gallery as Lychwick's "standby counsel."
The backstory:
The body of Maldanado was found back on Oct. 30, 2024, in a wooded area near Moreland and North in Waukesha. But police say the victim was actually killed months earlier.
Carlos Maldonado
Prosecutors say the man responsible for the crime is Lychwick. Investigators believe he shot Maldonado in the head back in April 2024. They say Lychwick wrapped the body in a plastic tarp and bound Maldonado's hands with duct tape.
Kevin Lychwick trial preview
Prosecutors say a man killed his neighbor and then hid the body in the woods. The Kevin Lychwick trial begins on Monday, June 8 -- and Lychwick will represent himself. FOX6's Bret Lemoine breaks down what has happened in the years leading up to the trial.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.