The Eau Claire County case follows a prior Dunn County matter that ended with a mental disease or defect finding.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Michael Jon Hurlburt remains jailed on a $1 million cash bond as Eau Claire County prosecutors pursue a first-degree intentional homicide charge in the stabbing death of his mother.
The charge accuses Hurlburt, 27, of killing Lisa Marie Bragg-Hurlburt, 56, on Friday, May 22, inside her apartment at Half Moon Lake Apartments. The case has drawn attention because police say Hurlburt called 911, reported the killing himself and later described both an afternoon plan and a restaurant stop before the attack.
The new case began as a homicide call and quickly became a court matter built around statements attributed to Hurlburt. Police said dispatchers received a call around 8 p.m. from a man who said, “I would like to report a homicide.” When the dispatcher asked how he knew, he allegedly answered, “I killed her.” He identified the victim as his mother, according to police accounts of the complaint, and said she might still be alive. Officers went to the apartment complex near West Grand Avenue and found Bragg-Hurlburt unresponsive and bleeding. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators recovered a bloody kitchen knife about 6 feet from her body.
Authorities said Hurlburt was taken into custody near 6th Street and Congress Street, then brought to police headquarters. After receiving Miranda warnings, he allegedly told detectives he had thought about killing his mother before because she had been “mean to him” while he was growing up. The complaint says he claimed he formed a plan at about 4 p.m. that day. He allegedly said he wanted a last meal at Dairy Queen before being arrested and that his mother picked him up there. Police said he then went to her apartment after telling her he wanted to speak with her alone. Inside, he allegedly waited several minutes before stabbing her.
The medical and physical evidence described publicly includes the knife and the medical examiner’s finding of 44 stab wounds, mostly to Bragg-Hurlburt’s neck and upper back. Police said Hurlburt told detectives he stabbed her 30 to 40 times and left while she was still breathing because he could not “finish her off.” He also allegedly said he wanted to “make a statement” to the rest of the family. During the 911 call, he allegedly spoke about being “gang stalked” by the U.S. government and the Chinese government. Officials have not publicly said whether any mental health examination has been ordered in the homicide case or whether Hurlburt’s defense will raise one.
The question of mental health is part of the public context because of a separate Dunn County case from 2024. Prior reporting described that case as involving allegations of terrorist threats and telephone harassment after Hurlburt allegedly posted online about a shooting at Colfax High School and left a voicemail for the superintendent saying he had an AR-15 and intended to kill him. In December 2025, that case was discharged after he was found guilty but not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. That outcome does not decide any fact in the Eau Claire County homicide case. It does, however, form part of the public court history surrounding the defendant.
Wisconsin criminal cases move through several stages before any final result. A charge is an allegation, and prosecutors must prove it in court. Defense lawyers can challenge statements, raise issues about competency, seek evaluations, negotiate pleas or prepare for trial, depending on the record and rulings. The reports reviewed for this article did not identify a plea in the homicide case. Hurlburt’s next court date is scheduled for July 6. That hearing could clarify the next steps, including scheduling, motions or whether any mental health-related proceedings will become part of the case. Until then, he remains jailed under the cash bond set by the court.
The victim was well known beyond the court file. Bragg-Hurlburt directed the Colfax Public Library, where colleagues said she had worked for years and had served as director since 2016. Library posts under her name in May showed everyday community work, including a spring hallway book sale, a Little Seed Library and a summer reading kickoff. A memorial fundraiser described her as an artist, a creative person and a volunteer who advocated for people in need. Her obituary said she was born Aug. 22, 1969, in Woodruff, grew up in Rhinelander and graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1987. It said her library work was her most meaningful role.
Community records show Bragg-Hurlburt had been publicly honored for that work. The Colfax Commercial Club presented the 2024 J.D. Simons Community Volunteer Award to her and youth services librarian Jolene Albricht. The award recognized their service at the Colfax Public Library, a village institution with regular hours, children’s materials, book clubs and community notices. After Bragg-Hurlburt’s death, library system colleagues wrote that she was “not a headline” and “not a statistic.” Their statement placed her name back in the setting where many people knew her, not only in the criminal complaint that now describes the last night of her life.
The apartment scene remains the center of the prosecution. Police have described the location as Half Moon Lake Apartments near Carson Park, and KSTP reported officers first responded to an apartment near West Grand Avenue. The arrest near 6th Street and Congress Street tied the emergency response to another point in the city. The complaint’s narrative depends heavily on Hurlburt’s alleged statements, including the emergency call and the police interview. It also includes physical evidence from the apartment and the medical examiner’s wound count. Authorities have not released a full evidence list, and the court will determine what materials become part of the public record.
The case has two public tracks for now. One is the criminal path: jail, bond, charging documents, hearings and possible litigation over evidence or mental health questions. The other is the community path: memorial posts, a fundraiser, library remembrances and an obituary that describes Bragg-Hurlburt’s life before the killing. Those tracks meet at the July 6 court date, when the legal process is expected to continue. No final finding has been made on Hurlburt’s guilt in the homicide case, and prosecutors have not announced a trial date.
Hurlburt remains in the Eau Claire County Jail, and the first-degree intentional homicide charge remains pending. The next known milestone is the July 6 hearing, where the court record may show how the case will proceed.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.