Winnebago County authorities have named the possible killer behind a 61-year-old chilly case. Sadly, he died two years in the past.
William A. Doxtator had lengthy been a suspect in a grotesque 1963 homicide during which a 24-year-old fuel station operator was stabbed 53 instances, in response to a Fb submit by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Workplace. Years of suggestions and DNA testing had implicated Doxtator additional, nevertheless it wasn’t till 2023 that Cybergenetics, a Pittsburgh-based DNA software program firm, decided that Doxtator’s DNA had been on a blanket used to cowl the sufferer.
Detectives initially bought Doxtator’s DNA by way of a 2018 warrant, which proved it a match to the blanket police discovered protecting the stab-riddled physique of Wayne Pratt.
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On the night of June 12, 1963, Pratt had made the 50-foot journey from his home to the station to service a visitor who’d pulled up. When, after quarter-hour, his spouse, Marie, seen he hadn’t but turned on the lights on the station, she went to examine on him, discovering his physique below the blanket within the station’s again room. He’d been stabbed 53 instances.
However not all of the blood on the bottom was his.
Investigators decided early on that Pratt’s killer had bled, too, and for many years troubled themselves with determining whose DNA the extra blood contained to no avail.
Fashionable investigative efforts kicked off in earnest in 2011, when the case was reopened for DNA testing. 4 years later, Utah-based DNA lab Sorenson forensics was capable of establish DNA mixtures from the blanket. Nonetheless, with no technique to enter the mixtures into the FBI’s DNA database, the case was as soon as once more halted. This time, nonetheless, investigators did not fairly put their efforts on ice –
After discovering new data on Doxtator, detectives bought a warrant to match his DNA with that discovered on the blanket. It was a match.
Other than his early implication within the investigation, extra suggestions in 1968 and 2009 linked Doxtator to the homicide, nevertheless it wasn’t till 2018 that his DNA linked the then-82-year-old to the crime biologically. Doxtator wasn’t the one suspect to have offered a DNA pattern.
“There can be enough proof to help a factual foundation and possible trigger to pursue a murder cost if William Doxtator have been alive as we speak,” Winnebago County District Legal professional Eric Sparr concluded, in response to the Fb submit.
Mixed with unique case experiences and witness statements, the DNA proof led the sheriff’s workplace to mark the case closed, referring one rely of first-degree intentional murder for Doxtator.
Remembering 30 years of Madison-area chilly circumstances
Christine Rothschild, 1968
Christine Rothschild, 18
Killed: She was stabbed and strangled Could 26, 1968 — her physique hidden in some bushes outdoors UW-Madison’s Sterling Corridor.
The case: The UW-Madison scholar’s loss of life gripped campus. Rothschild, a former mannequin, was described as a powerful, critical scholar who was well-liked. Her slaying was significantly brutal. She had been stabbed 14 instances, her higher and decrease jaws have been damaged, together with 4 ribs, and she or he was strangled with a part of the liner ripped from her personal coat. Her gloves had been shoved down her throat. She had not been sexually assaulted. Rothschild, who appreciated to stroll alone within the mornings on campus, was final seen alive that morning in her dormitory. She was discovered about 7 p.m., however authorities stated she was possible killed earlier than 10 a.m. that day.
Within the coming days and weeks, police tracked a whole bunch of leads that fizzled, main UW Madison police chief Ralph Hanson to inform the newspaper a month later that there have been “baffled.” A psychiatry professor additionally developed a profile of the killer for police to make use of, suggesting she was possible a random sufferer. “We’re leaving no stone unturned and I personally wrote Miss Rothschild’s dad and mom that College, Madison and Dane County investigators won’t relaxation till we discover her killer,” Hanson stated in a narrative from June 4, 1968.
Over time, mates have tried to attract consideration to the case in hopes of spurring leads. And her household had employed a personal detective that pursued the case for some time. On the fortieth anniversary of Rothschild’s loss of life, a school buddy organized a brief memorial service for her on campus on the carillon bell tower.
Charles N. Mumford, 1969
Charles N. Mumford, 35,
Killed: He was discovered shot to loss of life April 15, 1969.
The case: Mumford’s physique was present in an alley within the 100 block of South Butler Avenue close to the Cease Lite Tavern, 302 E. Wilson St., the place he was final seen alive about midnight, in response to a narrative on the time. A lady on her technique to work discovered him simply earlier than 7 a.m.
He had been shot 3 times, together with as soon as within the head close to his left ear. On the time, he had $114 on him, some change and a watch. Mumford’s final recognized handle was on East Dayton Avenue together with his brother and sister-in-law, though his brother instructed police he thought Mumford was residing in Beloit.
Police had few leads. A lady residing close to the tavern reported listening to gunshots round 11:55 p.m. April 14 and known as police, who investigated that evening however didn’t see a physique. They later questioned two suspects from Chicago, together with one man who knew Mumford and took a lie detector check. Investigators ultimately circulated a composite drawing of a suspect. In addition they held a person for some time however launched him on account of lack of proof.
Thomas Speer, 1971
Dr. Thomas Speer, 42
Killed: July 28, 1971
The case: Speer, a physician from Merrillville, Ind., who was visiting Madison for a convention, was shot two instances outdoors the High quality Motel, 4916 E. Broadway, the place he was staying. He died on arrival at an area hospital. Witnesses stated {that a} man fired the pictures at Speer from a parked automobile. Descriptions of a automobile and man have been circulated on the time however didn’t produce a viable lead. Police stated Speer, a father of three, was well-liked and so they couldn’t decide a motive for the slaying. At one level, police pursued a hoop of burglars they thought could be linked, however no prices have been filed.
Mark Justl, 1972
Mark Justl, 28
Killed: Justl was discovered strangled to loss of life simply earlier than daybreak Nov. 22, 1973, within the entrance hallway of the Joyce Funeral Dwelling, 540 W. Washington Ave., the place he lived as a resident worker.
An post-mortem stated he was strangled between 2 and three:30 a.m. He additionally had a black eye, bruised mouth, a wound on his head from a fist or object and fingernail scratches on his face and neck indicating a wrestle. He was discovered at about 5:40 a.m. by a newspaper service.
Investigators discovered no actual motive, though they speculated he could have come dwelling and stunned a housebreaking in progress. Two workplaces and a basement storage room had been “ransacked,” with the one objects reported lacking being $10 in money, seven liquor bottles and Justl’s pockets.
Debra Bennett, 1976
Debra Bennett, 20
Killed: Her burned physique was discovered July 21, 1976, in a ditch close to Cross Plains.
The case: Bennett’s physique, discovered by two farm surveyors, was so badly burned and decomposed that the coroner couldn’t decide a reason behind loss of life. Initially from Ridgeway in Iowa County, she was recognized by way of dental data and the file of a childhood damaged collar bone. Authorities didn’t know if she was killed close to the ditch or elsewhere.
A newspaper report on the time stated she was final seen July 10 “strolling barefoot – with painted toenails – and carrying blue denims, carrying a denim jacket and a brown shoulder-strap purse, on the west sidewalk of Loftsgordon Avenue heading towards Aberg Avenue.” Bennett had been within the technique of shifting to the Cardinal Lodge after being evicted from an condominium constructing at 1421 Loftsgordon Ave. She was issued a key July 8 to a room on the Cardinal, however her garments have been discovered within the Loftsgordon condominium. The identical key was later dropped within the mail and returned to the lodge, because it carried a tag asking the finder to drop it in a mailbox, with return postage assured.
She was memorialized in a joint funeral for her and her father, who died from an sickness, on July 29, 1976.
Julie Ann Corridor, 1978
Julie Ann Corridor, 18
Killed: She was killed June 16 or 17, 1978, after an evening out in Madison, and her physique left in a shallow grave west of Waunakee.
The case: A farmer discovered her nude physique June 21, 1978, in a distant wooded space alongside Woodland Street, simply off Freeway 12. Due to climate circumstances on the time, which prompted her physique to partially decompose, the reason for her loss of life was not solely clear, and investigators couldn’t say for sure she had been sexually assaulted. Police first reported that she died from blows to the top with a blunt instrument. However they later stated they might decide just one mark to her head – it regarded like somebody had hit her exhausting simply beneath her jaw – in addition to scratches and bruises on her physique. Some detectives speculated that she died from publicity after being left for useless.
Corridor had been out with a male buddy the evening of June 16 and was seen within the Primary King Faucet simply off of Capitol Sq.. She had additionally eaten a late evening meal. That was the final evening she was seen alive.
Initially from Fennimore, Corridor had been residing in Madison for less than two months, working as a library assistant on the State Historic Society. Earlier than shifting right here, she additionally lived within the North Freedom space. She was residing in Madison with a brother who had not too long ago been launched from jail. Police questioned her mates, and one individual took at the very least two lie detector assessments. A 1981 newspaper story quoted an investigator saying they have been assured they’d a powerful suspect in her case. However no arrests have been made.
Authorities additionally investigated whether or not Corridor’s slaying was associated to different unsolved murders of younger ladies within the Madison space. A gaggle of detectives interviewed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas in Texas in 1984 after he stated that he and his associate, Otis Toole, had handed by way of Madison a number of instances and had dedicated a number of the murders. However Lucas, a one-eyed drifter, made false confessions to a whole bunch of killings throughout the nation and later withdrew practically all of his confessions.
Susan LeMahieu, 1980
Susan LeMahieu, 24
Killed: Date of loss of life is unsure. Her physique was found within the Arboretum on April 16, 1980, 4 months after being reported lacking.
The case: LeMahieu was mildly developmentally disabled and bodily disabled on the left facet of her physique. She had been reported lacking from her room at Allen Corridor, a residential facility at State and Frances road for folks with disabilities, on Dec. 15, 1979.
Authorities couldn’t decide a reason behind loss of life, when she died or how lengthy her physique had been hidden away within the dense brush. A 1974 graduate of Madison East Excessive Faculty, LeMahieu was recognized to hang around on State and Williamson streets, in addition to the realm round King and Primary streets Downtown.
Julie Speerschneider, 1981
Julie Speerschneider, 20
Killed: It’s not recognized when she died. She was final seen leaving a bar in Madison in March 1979, and her skeleton was discovered two years later within the city of Dunn.
The case: Speerschneider was final seen on a Tuesday evening, March 27, 1979, after leaving the 602 Membership on College Avenue to go to a buddy’s home. Mates stated she would usually hitchhike on Johnson Avenue and she or he could have that evening, as properly. She was reported lacking, and notices ran within the newspaper searching for leads as to the place she could be. The State Journal ran her picture, together with descriptions of her and her clothes. A reward was additionally provided, and her household and mates circulated posters along with her picture.
However it wasn’t till April 18, 1981, {that a} 16-year-old who was climbing noticed Speerschneider’s physique coated in brush, in a wooded space within the city of Dunn, close to the Yahara River. Her physique was too decomposed to find out a trigger or time of loss of life. No garments, sneakers or jewellery have been discovered along with her. She had two jobs on the time, one as a day-care employee and one other in a restaurant.
Authorities investigated whether or not Speerschneider’s slaying was associated to different unsolved murders of younger ladies within the Madison space. A gaggle of detectives interviewed serial killer Henry Lee Lucas in Texas in 1984 after he stated that he and his associate, Otis Toole, had handed by way of Madison a number of instances and had dedicated a number of the murders. However Lucas, a one-eyed drifter, made false confessions to a whole bunch of killings throughout the nation and later withdrew practically all of his confessions.
Shirley Stewart, 1980
Shirley Stewart, 17
Killed: The Middleton woman disappeared Jan. 2, 1980, and her physique was discovered July 16, 1981 within the city of Westport.
The case: She was reported lacking when she didn’t come dwelling after ending work as a maid at Dean Clinic. 4 archaeology college students mapping a state park discovered her physique hid by brush in a distant space north of Madison. An post-mortem couldn’t decide a reason behind loss of life and located “no trauma to the skeletal stays.” They couldn’t rule out that she had been stabbed or strangled due to decomposition.
Barbara Nelson, 1982
Barbara Nelson, 34
Killed: She was kidnapped Aug. 5, 1982, and located useless 5 days later.
The case: Nelson was taken from the Mini Cease and Store within the city of Albion, north of Edgerton, the place she labored as a clerk. Her semi-clothed physique was discovered Aug. 10 in a cornfield close to Elkhorn. She had been shot twice and brutally overwhelmed on her face and head. Her physique was decomposed and her face disfigured by the beating. They recognized her stays by evaluating fingerprints she left on her 3-year-old daughter’s beginning certificates. Nelson was additionally carrying her wedding ceremony ring.
Authorities on the time pursued many leads however by no means named a suspect. The money register was lacking an estimated $355, however investigators stated they didn’t know whether or not the motive was theft or sexual assault. Authorities stated on the time they believed she was killed close to the realm she was present in Walworth County, possible on the evening she was kidnapped. Witnesses noticed what could have been Nelson and her captors in a pickup alongside Bray Street close to Elkhorn. Police launched composite sketches of individuals they thought could also be concerned, in addition to descriptions of the truck seen within the space. In addition they pursued connections to related crimes completed elsewhere. None of these avenues ever led to prices.
In 2015, Dane County detectives stated that they believed the 2 males who kidnapped her have been native folks and indicated they “had individuals of curiosity” within the case. In addition they have been hoping new DNA methods may present new leads. Authorities have by no means named a suspect publicly.
Donna Mraz, 1982
Donna Mraz, 23
Killed: She was stabbed to loss of life simply after midnight July 2, 1982, close to Camp Randall Stadium whereas strolling dwelling from her job at a restaurant.
The case: The UW-Madison scholar from Delavan was on her manner again to her Van Hise Avenue condominium from the BitterSweet Restaurant, 117 State St. when she was attacked. A witness looking of his condominium window noticed her fall to the bottom, ran out to assist her after which known as the hearth division, however he didn’t see her attacker. She struggled along with her attacker, who stabbed her many instances. Mraz died at College Hospital.
Police pursued many leads, together with asking the witness to endure hypnosis to attempt to bear in mind extra particulars about what he noticed that evening. In addition they pursued hyperlinks to different crimes, and will discover no definitive motive. A $10,000 reward was additionally provided. At one level, Mraz’ physique was exhumed to attempt to evaluate her tooth to chunk marks on a suspect. The assessments weren’t definitive.
Individuals on the time have been fearful due to the seemingly random assault on Mraz, and her slaying led to a rise in secure evening transportation choices for ladies.
Andrew Nehmer, 1986
Andrew Nehmer, 20
Killed: April 22, 1986, on the Open Pantry, 2201 S. Park St., within the city of Madison, the place he was working the evening shift as a clerk.
The case: Nehmer, a UW-Madison scholar initially from Watertown, was stabbed within the neck throughout a theft and bled to loss of life. On the time, the case didn’t result in any prices. However renewed consideration got here in April 2013, when city police named a suspect and the Open Pantry provided a $5,000 reward for anybody with data that helps shut the case.
Police stated in 2013 that Donald Ameche Braxton, a former Madison resident residing in Colorado, is the prime suspect, however he has not been arrested or charged. Braxton was convicted of three different armed robberies of shops close to the Open Pantry and in the identical month that Nehmer was killed. DNA testing in 2011 discovered that Braxton could not be excluded because the supply of the DNA on a purple bandanna discovered on the scene.
One among Nehmer’s former academics described him in an April 23, 1986, story as a “form, thoughtful younger man who had lots of promise.” He was majoring in communications arts and concerned with pursuing movie. Nehmer’s mom, stepfather and brother attended the information convention in April 2013 to announce the reward in hopes of spurring leads within the case. At the moment, police stated that witnesses hesitating to return ahead had stated they could be motivated by a reward.
Ronnie Joe Kirk, 1989
Skeleton within the chimney
Killed: In September 1989, police discovered skeletal stays in a chimney that was a part of a music retailer at 5335 College Ave.
The case: A pile of human bones, garments, jewellery and sneakers lay within the backside of the chimney that had 3 ways in or out – all small. Somebody both died within the chimney or was killed elsewhere and crammed inside. Police scoured lacking individuals lists, forensic scientists went to work and the media coated the invention.
Authorities couldn’t decide a trigger or date of loss of life, however famous that the skeleton had belonged to a small man with brown hair and a slight overbite. In 2024, detectives introduced that they’d recognized the person as Ronnie Joe Kirk, an Oklahoma native with ties to the Madison space. Kirk was final heard from within the late 1960’s, and authorities are nonetheless unclear on when and the way he died.
Mark Genna, 1992
Mark Genna, 32
Killed: He was bludgeoned in his South Park Avenue condominium Feb. 1, 1992.
The case: Genna, who was disabled, was discovered with a badly fractured cranium and died later at St. Mary’s Hospital. An post-mortem discovered that somebody struck him eight to 10 instances within the head with a heavy object. His accidents have been so in depth that police initially thought he had been shot within the head. Police on the time stated they didn’t know why Genna was focused.
In 2013, police stated they have been re-evaluating the story of the person who discovered Genna’s physique and took a DNA pattern from him. The person had instructed police he had seen Genna by way of a window mendacity on the ground and got here in by way of an unlocked window to achieve him. A blood spatter professional known as into query that account.
Genna’s condominium constructing, at 2305 S. Park St., was within the city of Madison at the moment however is now within the metropolis of Madison. It’s one in every of two chilly case homicides city police want to resolve; the opposite is Andrew Nehmer’s slaying.
The Rev. Alfred Kunz, 1998
The Rev. Alfred Kunz, 67
Killed: The priest was discovered useless, his throat slit, on March 4, 1998.
The case: Kunz, the 32-year pastor of St. Michael Catholic Church within the village of Dane, was discovered within the adjoining parochial college. Investigators pursued numerous potential motives and leads through the years. At one level, investigators stated that they’d a powerful suspect however lacked sufficient proof to cost the individual.
A Dane County sheriff’s detective stated in 2012 on the 14th anniversary of the homicide that the state Crime Laboratory was doing new testing on previous proof and that “there’s a renewed quantity of vitality on the case.”
