Prosecutors say the victim was stabbed to death April 1 as the couple’s children were nearby.
KENOSHA, Wis. — A 33-year-old Kenosha man accused of killing his estranged wife was ordered held Monday on a $2 million bond after prosecutors said he stabbed her to death inside a home on April 1 and then fled, touching off a 30-hour search.
Marckus Plaza now faces a first-degree intentional homicide charge, two felony counts of causing mental harm to a child, and misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and entry into a building. The case has drawn intense attention in Kenosha because of the children’s reported presence during the attack, the long search that followed, and newly highlighted court records showing Makayla Plaza had sought a temporary restraining order earlier this year.
According to prosecutors, police were called to a home near 75th Street and 22nd Avenue on the morning of April 1 after a friend became alarmed during a phone call with Makayla Plaza. In court filings, prosecutors said the recorded call captured Makayla Plaza screaming for help and pleading during the encounter. They said Marckus Plaza could be heard replying that it was too late. When officers arrived, police said he would not let them inside. A criminal complaint says officers then moved to the rear of the home and saw him dragging a body in the basement. Investigators later said Makayla Plaza had been stabbed seven times, including in the face and chest. Marckus Plaza left before officers could arrest him, prosecutors said, setting off a search that stretched into the next day.
Family members spoke emotionally in court as the commissioner considered bond. Makayla Plaza’s mother said he should never again be allowed to see the children or leave custody. Her boyfriend, Korey Williams, said he had tried to help her get away from what he described as abuse and mistreatment. Prosecutors said one of the couple’s children told investigators that his mother was dead and blamed his father, adding that the child had blood on his clothing. Those statements became part of the basis for the two felony child mental harm charges. Prosecutors also said Marckus Plaza was later found hiding in the basement of a salon near 75th Street and 23rd Avenue after residents in the area had been asked to shelter in place. Authorities have not publicly answered every question about where he went during the manhunt or how he moved through the neighborhood before his arrest.
The case also revived questions about earlier warning signs. Court records cited in the reporting show a Kenosha County court commissioner denied Makayla Plaza’s request for a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband in February. The denial does not resolve the broader question of what evidence was presented at that hearing, but it places the killing in the middle of an already active and troubled domestic dispute. Prosecutors have also filed separate misdemeanor charges from February accusing Marckus Plaza of disorderly conduct, battery and publishing a private representation without consent after an incident involving Williams. In that case, the complaint says Plaza shared private photos of Williams on Snapchat and then fought him. Taken together, the earlier court filings and the homicide allegations sketch a relationship that had already moved into the legal system before Makayla Plaza’s death.
The homicide case is now moving into the early court stage, when prosecutors outline the allegations and the defense has its first chances to respond. Plaza remains charged, not convicted, and the allegations against him must still be tested in court. The high bond means he is expected to remain in custody unless he can post it. Prosecutors will continue to build the case through witness interviews, forensic evidence and digital records, including the reported phone call that helped bring police to the house. The separate misdemeanor case from February remains another part of the legal backdrop. Future hearings are expected to address the homicide charge, the child-related counts and the other allegations tied to the search and arrest.
By Monday afternoon, the courtroom had become a place for grief as much as procedure. Relatives and loved ones spoke in raw terms about loss, fear and anger, while the defendant sat with his head down. Their remarks underscored how quickly a private domestic crisis had turned into a public criminal case that reached across a neighborhood, a courthouse and a family with children now at the center of the aftermath. For residents who followed the shelter-in-place warnings and the search around 75th Street, the hearing offered the first fuller account of what prosecutors believe happened inside the home and why the case may continue to draw close scrutiny as more records come out.
The case stood Monday with Marckus Plaza in custody on a $2 million bond and facing multiple charges tied to Makayla Plaza’s death. The next milestone is his return to court, where prosecutors are expected to continue laying out the evidence behind the homicide case.
Author note: Last updated April 7, 2026.