Prosecutors say Joseph Macias entered the woman’s South Side home, attacked her and remained inside until police arrived.
MILWAUKEE — A 23-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged with three felonies after authorities said he broke into a 99-year-old woman’s home and severely injured her during an early morning attack.
Joseph Guadalupe Macias is charged with battery to an elder person causing great bodily harm, first-degree reckless injury and burglary of a dwelling. The charges were filed July 31 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Macias appeared in court Saturday, when a judge set his cash bond at $150,000. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Aug. 7.
The charges stem from an attack July 27 at a home on South 14th Street, near Cudahy Avenue and north of Layton Avenue. A criminal complaint says surveillance video showed one person in the woman’s driveway at about 4:45 a.m. Her medical alert service contacted 911 about half an hour later.
Police entered the home after 8 a.m. through a rear door that was closed but unlocked, according to the complaint. An officer found Macias lying on the living room floor. Court records say he claimed the woman in another room was his grandmother, but investigators said the two did not know each other.
Officers found the woman badly injured in a separate room. The complaint says she had extensive swelling, cuts and bruises and was having difficulty speaking. She was taken to Froedtert Hospital, where doctors found two fractures in her jaw and treated injuries to several areas of her body. The complaint said she remained hospitalized when the charges were filed, and the full extent of her injuries had not been determined.
The woman told investigators she awoke to loud banging at her door. She said a stranger attacked her as soon as she opened it, forced her to the floor and repeatedly kicked her. She said she did not recognize the attacker. Investigators reported damage and blood in several parts of the home, including the kitchen and living room.
Prosecutors said nothing appeared to have been stolen. Investigators did not find the woman’s property on Macias, and the complaint says the evidence did not indicate that theft was the reason for entering the home. A bloodstained gray sweatshirt also was recovered from inside the residence, according to court records.
Surveillance video from a nearby gas station showed a man stumbling toward the neighborhood in clothing consistent with what Macias was wearing when officers arrested him, the complaint says. Investigators also reviewed video showing a person near the victim’s home before the medical alert service made its first emergency call.
Macias told investigators he did not remember what happened, according to the complaint. He said he had been drinking heavily before arriving at the home and acknowledged that he would face consequences for his actions. Court records say he wrote an apology letter to the woman. His statements are allegations contained in the complaint and have not been tested at trial.
A relative told investigators that Macias had been drinking with others before returning to a nearby home at about 1:30 a.m. The relative said Macias continued drinking and was later given a pillow so he could sleep. When the relative awoke several hours later, Macias was gone, but his shoes and phone remained behind, according to the complaint.
The criminal case remains pending, and Macias is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. No plea was listed in the reports reviewed. His preliminary hearing will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence for the case to proceed toward trial.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 3, 2026.