Milwaukee, WI
DNA on McDonald’s cup links Milwaukee woman to husband’s 2020 execution-style killing
![DNA on McDonald’s cup links Milwaukee woman to husband’s 2020 execution-style killing DNA on McDonald’s cup links Milwaukee woman to husband’s 2020 execution-style killing](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/05/02/PMJS/73546622007-safety-building.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2736,1539,x0,y1916&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Cassandra Hult and Jose Santiago fought a lot during their short but turbulent marriage.
Santiago would turn up dead in a Milwaukee cemetery after an especially intense argument with his wife years ago.
Hult was questioned several times by police, but wasn’t arrested. She eventually left the state and carved out a new life for herself in the Southwest.
Prosecutors say in court papers Hult confessed to her house mates and a new lover she was the one who pulled the trigger, and killed Santiago, 27.
Hult, 28, was in a Milwaukee County courtroom Monday, some four years after Santiago’s execution-style slaying, answering to charges she shot her husband in the back of the head and left for him dead.
She is charged with first-degree reckless homicide. The charge against Hult also includes a modifier for use of a dangerous weapon, which means she can be subject to additional penalties if she is convicted.
During a preliminary hearing Monday, Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey A. Wagner found there was sufficient probable cause to bind the case against Hult over for trial.
Hult pleaded not guilty through her attorney, Theodore O’Reilly, of Milwaukee.
Her bond was set at $500,000. She remained locked up at the Milwaukee County Jail.
Hult’s next court appearance is set for July 10.
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Here’s what authorities believe happened:
According to a May 6 criminal complaint, a jogger spotted a black Lincoln LS as she ran through St. Adalbert Cemetery on March 22, 2020. A man was sitting in the driver’s seat. She didn’t think much of it and kept going.
The next day, she jogged through the cemetery in the early afternoon and saw the vehicle again in the same spot. She went through the cemetery around 6 p.m. and, again, it appeared to not have moved.
The jogger approached the car window and saw the person inside was unresponsive and called 911.
The man had been shot in the back of the head. A spent casing from a .380 pistol was found in the rear driver’s side seat.
Milwaukee police Detective Jake Puschnig testified Monday that forensic testing conducted on two McDonald’s cups found in the car turned up fingerprints and DNA for both Santiago and Hult.
More: ‘Justice system failed,’ judge says as Milwaukee man gets life for killing woman in 2022 during argument
Hult told investigators she and Santiago had been married for about a year and a half, and that they often fought.
One of those fights erupted on the morning of March 22, 2020.
She said they argued that day when she found texts on Santiago’s phone with other women and confronted him. Hult told investigators Santiago kicked her out of the car, and that afterwards she went to stay at her grandmother’s home on Milwaukee’s north side.
She mentioned nothing about going to McDonald’s.
Cellphone tower records show both Santiago and Hult’s phones were in the same general area at the time the jogger first spotted Santiago in his car, according to the complaint.
Hult also gave inconsistent accounts on what else she did that day, the complaint said.
More: Facing mostly white juries, are Milwaukee County defendants of color truly judged by their peers?
Hult resurfaced a year later in Buckeye, Arizona, where she had been with a woman and her daughter. Hult got into a heated argument on Sept. 27, 2021 with the woman, who told Hult to leave. She left, but the war of words continued on FaceTime.
During the argument, Hult threatened to kill the woman and blurted out that she had killed her husband back in Milwaukee, the criminal complaint said.
The woman’s daughter also told Buckeye detectives Hult confessed to her she executed her husband and left him on the south side, according to the complaint.
On May 2, a man told police he had met Hult in Las Vegas in January 2022 and that they quickly began a romantic relationship. Shortly afterwards, she moved in with him in Sacramento, California. While he was in a relationship with her, Hult confessed “multiple times” that she killed her husband, the criminal complaint said.
A warrant for Hult’s arrest was issued May 6, court records show.
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Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Brewing Co. announces opening date for Bay View taproom
Milwaukee Brewing & Distilling Company – owned by Eagle Park Brewing – has announced that its new taproom in Bay View will have its soft opening on Friday, Aug. 2.
A grand opening event with live music and more will take place on Saturday, Aug. 17.
The taproom is in the former Tonic Tavern, 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which has been renovated.
The new venue will not have a brewhouse. It will feature a range of beers and spirits made by Milwaukee Brewing & Distilling Company at its Muskego facility.
Milwaukee Brewing will continue the Tonic tradition of hosting live music. There is an indoor stage.
Tonic’s large outdoor area has been remodeled.
“Much of the work on the space was cosmetic besides the new patio,” says co owner Jake Schinker. “We loved Tonic Tavern and it was a careful balancing act to choose what to update and what to keep.
“We wanted it to feel new but still keep it familiar to those in the neighborhood that frequented here.”
Eagle Park’s roots are in Bay View, where it opened in 2017 in the Lincoln Warehouse on 1st and Becher Streets.
“Bay View holds a special place in our hearts,” says Schinker. “When we left our original location here in 2018 we were sad to leave, but being back here and being part of the wave of new businesses opening in the area is amazing!
“It already feels like we never left.”
The new taproom was announced this past spring. Tonic Tavern closed in February.
When Eagle Park Brewing and Distilling bought the brands of the closed Milwaukee Brewing Company in September 2022, Schinker told us that he and his partners planned a taproom focused on the brand.
Milwaukee Brewing Company opened in 1997. It closed its Brewery District taproom in August 2022 and sold the business and facility to Pilot Project Brewing.
Eagle Park has taprooms on Milwaukee’s East Side and in Muskego, where it operates its production facility.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee shooting, 63rd and Hope, 16-year-old wounded
![Milwaukee shooting, 63rd and Hope, 16-year-old wounded Milwaukee shooting, 63rd and Hope, 16-year-old wounded](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox6now.com/www.fox6now.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1280/720/63rd-and-Hope-Milwaukee.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Milwaukee shooting, 63rd and Hope
MILWAUKEE – A 16-year-old was shot and wounded in Milwaukee on Friday morning, July 26.
It happened around 1:15 a.m. near 63rd Street and Hope Avenue.
Police say the victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. No arrests have been made.
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Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Police warns of robbery crew; 2 arrests made
![Milwaukee Police warns of robbery crew; 2 arrests made Milwaukee Police warns of robbery crew; 2 arrests made](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox6now.com/www.fox6now.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1280/720/9P-DOWNTOWN-ARMED-ROBBERY-CREW-PKG_WITIe52e_146_mx_00.00.33.02.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
MPD warn of robbery crew, arrests made
The Milwaukee Police Department is warning about a new robbery crew, seemingly targeting people in the Riverwest and Upper East Side neighborhoods.
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department is warning about a new robbery crew.
They say they’re targeting people in the Riverwest and Upper East Side neighborhoods.
On a picture-perfect day in Milwaukee, there’s no shortage of people walking around. But lately, there’s been some caution, with recent robberies in the area.
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“I don’t know what’s going on, but you definitely have to watch your back,” resident Lee Russell said.
FOX6 News obtained an email from MPD – District 1 Capt. Robert Thiel sent to the Downtown Security Network, comprised of security professionals, real estate representatives and law enforcement, warning of a “robbery crew” that “have been active throughout the city, driving around in a “black Lincoln MKC,” a vehicle suspected to be involved in shootings in other parts of the city.
“I definitely stay vigilant. I keep my eyes peeled,” Russell said. “I watch who’s in my vicinity.”
The news of the crew comes at the same time, two people in town for Northwestern Mutual’s annual meeting were robbed on Tuesday night. Police don’t know whether the crimes were done by the same robbery group.
![](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox6now.com/www.fox6now.com/content/uploads/2023/12/932/524/10P-APPLETON-AND-KEEFE-SHOOTING-VO_00.00.22.34-Copy.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
While people are concerned for their safety, they say the warning about the crimes won’t stop them from living their lives.
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“It’s weird to me, it’s not surprising,” said resident Aaron Poster. “If I stay inside because I’m worried about a robbery crew, I guess then I would never get out of the house.”
Police have arrested two males, one 17 and one 18. They say they are looking for others involved with this robbery crew.
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