The survivor’s statement and a DNA match linked the attacks, prosecutors said.
MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee teenager who followed a woman into her apartment building and attacked her in an elevator was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in prison, closing a case that prosecutors said showed a pattern of predatory behavior across multiple incidents.
The sentence comes less than two months after Tremonte Kirk pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of aggravated battery. Prosecutors argued that building camera footage, medical records and forensic testing supported the account of the December 2024 elevator assault near North 24th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. A second survivor later told the court she escaped a separate encounter; a DNA hit connected Kirk to that case, according to statements made during the hearing.
The judge called the conduct “monstrous” and emphasized the details captured in the building and hospital records. In court, the first survivor, identified as Charlotte Nozar, said the teen stomped on a surgical incision on her leg after raping and choking her. “Nothing can give me my life as I knew it and my leg back,” she said. The other survivor said she “had to run” to get away. Kirk, now 17, apologized and said he has spent months considering the harm he caused. The judge, citing the violence and repetition, said any lighter sentence would endanger the public.
Investigators testified that the elevator attack occurred while Kirk was under GPS monitoring in another matter. The plea in September resolved three counts and left other allegations dismissed but read in for sentencing. Court officials said the combined record—including surveillance time stamps, DNA analysis and victim statements—supported the state’s recommendation for a long term of confinement followed by years of supervision.
Defense counsel argued Kirk’s youth should weigh heavily and asked for the chance of release earlier in adulthood. The judge rejected that proposal after noting the severity of injuries and the impact statements. “Your record is horrible,” he said from the bench, adding that the assaults terrorized strangers in ordinary places. Deputies escorted Kirk from the courtroom as supporters embraced the women who spoke.
With judgment entered, the Department of Corrections will process Kirk to state prison in the coming days. Extended supervision will follow when he is eventually released. No additional hearings were scheduled as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated November 12, 2025.