Kevin Lychwick’s opening statement derailed by objections in Waukesha trial
Kevin Lychwick, 63, struggled while delivering his opening statement as his Waukesha murder trial began, telling jurors, “I am not a killer” and “I am not guilty of this crime.” He is representing himself in the case, which charges him with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of Carlos Maldonado.
Prosecutor Daniel Tombasco said Maldonado, 55, was last seen alive on April 14, 2024, and his daughter reported him missing days later after she could not reach him. Lychwick told jurors, “I feel sorry for my poor neighbor, but I did not know him well enough to have any animus against him, and I have never killed anyone in my life.”
Waukesha opening statement
During the opening, Lychwick also said, “The largest warm-blooded animal I ever killed was a skunk that walked in front of my car by accident years ago.” Multiple objections interrupted him as he tried to present his own defense. Judge David Maas warned him that the court had ruled the searches in the case were valid and constitutional, saying, “The court has made a ruling that the searches in this case were valid and they were constitutional, so I’m not going to permit arguments that the searches were not legal,”
Carlos Maldonado evidence
Tombasco said a maintenance worker at the apartment complex found a blue tarp in the woods on Oct. 30, 2024, and the tarp covered Maldonado’s decomposing remains. A medical examiner determined that Maldonado had been shot twice, once in the torso and once in the center of the face. Investigators also said a trail camera video from April 29, 2024, showed Lychwick walking around the area where the remains were later found, carrying a white trash bag and what appeared to be a tool.
Prosecutors said a search warrant served on Lychwick’s home allegedly turned up handwritten notes that listed “Operation Slop Shop” and identified Maldonado as a threat. Another paper allegedly said Operation Slop Shop had been completed and the threats from the first stop had been neutralized. Police also said they stopped Lychwick’s car for speeding and found a 1939 Luger firearm in the trunk, and prosecutors said the ballistics matched the two projectiles found with Maldonado’s body.
David Maas ruling
The judge’s warning narrowed the ground Lychwick can argue before jurors. With the searches already ruled valid and constitutional, the defense will have to work around the evidence police and prosecutors say connects him to the killing, including the trail camera video, the handwritten notes and the firearm.
