Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee stabbing suspect deemed ‘not competent’ for trial
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The Milwaukee man accused of stabbing his 44-year-old girlfriend to death then allegedly confessing to the crime in a text message was found not competent to stand trial and unable to assist in his own defense.
Mile Dukic has been in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail since his arrest in February, following the brutal killing of Amanda Varisco, 44.
Dukic is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, and felony counts of bail jumping.
The doctor’s report was submitted to the court April 9, online court records show. At an April 10 hearing, Dukic, attending by Zoom, and his lawyers Arial Rosenberg and Theodore O’Reilly did not contest any of the report’s conclusions.
Court proceedings were ordered suspended by Circuit Court Judge David Swanson, and Dukic was assigned to the Department of Health and Family Services for institutional treatment to restore competency.
Swanson ordered the parties to return for a review hearing on July 9 to report progress.
Here’s what police and prosecutors say happened that night
According to a criminal complaint, Dukic and Varisco had a physical altercation on Feb. 3 at an apartment on the 3600 block of West National Avenue.
Milwaukee police were sent there that night to do a welfare check.
Officers arrived and talked to Varisco’s daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend at the scene. The daughter shared with police a text message she said she received from Dukic in which he claimed he had killed her mother, the complaint said.
Dukic told officers in an interview he and Varisco fought because Varisco had gotten a phone call from another man and that she told Dukic she wanted him to leave, the complaint reads.
Online court records show Dukic was out on bail in two cases at the time of Varsico’s death – one for stalking another woman, one for bail jumping.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.