Thomas Zollicoffer has pleaded not guilty as judges address bail, witness communications and other disputes ahead of trial.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The criminal case accusing Thomas Zollicoffer of killing three people in two Milwaukee shootings has moved well beyond the first police reports of Aug. 8. He has been ordered to stand trial, pleaded not guilty, sought a different judge and had jail communication privileges restricted after prosecutors accused him of attempting to influence a witness. The next phase will determine whether the state can prove three first-degree intentional homicide charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Zollicoffer, 36, is also charged with four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, bringing the case to seven felony counts. The people prosecutors say he killed were Vanessa DeHerrera, 26, Scott Bucholz, 29, and Shamarla “Asir” Hare, 39. Zollicoffer remained jailed on $1 million bail as of the latest reported proceedings. A final pretrial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 8, while the trial itself was set for November. Those procedural developments have changed the immediate focus of the story from the initial manhunt to what evidence a jury may eventually hear and what protections the court will impose while the case is pending.
The key early courtroom test came Aug. 24, when prosecutors presented enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to persuade a court commissioner that the felony case should continue. Milwaukee police homicide Detective Brian Maciejewski testified about the investigation and statements authorities attribute to Zollicoffer. Maciejewski said Zollicoffer initially indicated that Bucholz had shot DeHerrera but later changed his account. According to the detective, Zollicoffer then said he was responsible for shooting DeHerrera and Bucholz and also for shooting Hare. The commissioner found probable cause to believe felonies had been committed and ordered Zollicoffer bound over for trial. That ruling was not a finding that he was guilty.
The evidence underlying that hearing begins at an apartment near 21st and Pierce streets. The criminal complaint says DeHerrera had been staying there while trying to leave an on-again, off-again relationship with Zollicoffer. A resident told investigators that Zollicoffer arrived during the afternoon and argued with her. Witnesses said he at one point gave DeHerrera his gun and that she later returned it when he suggested he was leaving. According to the complaint, he remained at the apartment. Later, a witness told police, Zollicoffer pointed a gun toward DeHerrera and fired. The witness said he then directed gunfire toward other people in the room. When officers arrived shortly before 10 p.m., DeHerrera and Bucholz were dead.
That first location generated accounts from people who had survived the shooting as well as physical evidence. Police said several people were inside the apartment and some had sheltered in a bedroom. Investigators recovered six 9 mm casings. Witnesses outside described a man running from the building and entering a white sedan that left quickly. Bucholz’s family later said he had been helping DeHerrera during the dispute. Those details became significant not only because they described the first two deaths but because prosecutors say the person who left that apartment was soon transported to another part of Milwaukee, where a third person was killed.
At a residence near 39th Street and Townsend Avenue, witnesses said Zollicoffer arrived and asked to speak with people inside. The complaint alleges that he confronted Hare, pulled a handgun and shot her. One witness reported that Zollicoffer told her, “I can’t stand you anyways,” immediately before gunfire. Hare was taken to a hospital and later died. Police found two additional 9 mm casings. Local authorities quickly began treating the shootings as connected, although early public statements did not explain every link among the people involved. Later reporting and the complaint have not established a clear prior relationship between Hare and Zollicoffer, making it important not to assign an unsupported motive to her killing.
The court record also includes the events surrounding Zollicoffer’s arrest. Police searched for him for more than two days after the shootings. On Aug. 11, officers surrounded a residence near 84th Street and Fiebrantz Avenue and called tactical officers and crisis negotiators when the wanted man remained inside. Zollicoffer eventually came out and was taken into custody. Police said two loaded guns were recovered, including a 9 mm pistol. Investigators later said Zollicoffer made statements about the killings after receiving his Miranda warning. The complaint says he told detectives he had not intended to kill DeHerrera when he went to the apartment but that he “lost it” during the encounter. Police also attributed statements about Bucholz and Hare to him.
After the preliminary hearing moved the homicide prosecution forward, a separate dispute arose over Zollicoffer’s communications from jail. Prosecutors alleged that he used a county-provided electronic device to send a message concerning a witness to the Pierce Street shootings. Court records cited by local news organizations said an account assigned to Zollicoffer sent a message telling another person to tell a witness to “stop lying.” Prosecutors also presented another statement they interpreted as a warning that people would “pay” for their roles in the case. The material led prosecutors to request restrictions intended to prevent possible witness intimidation.
At an Aug. 28 hearing, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski granted broad restrictions on Zollicoffer’s communications. The judge barred access to electronic devices and restricted phone calls and visits, while preserving communication with attorneys. Borowski also publicly questioned the availability of tablets to defendants held in the county jail. The controversy later grew into a wider debate about jail technology, but in Zollicoffer’s individual prosecution the relevant issue is narrower: prosecutors alleged he tried to influence a witness, and the judge issued an order aimed at preventing further contact. The allegation about the jail message remains distinct from the three homicide counts.
A different procedural issue arose in September. Zollicoffer’s attorney sought to replace Borowski, telling the court that the judge had sentenced Zollicoffer in an earlier criminal matter. On Sept. 8, the substitution request was denied because the court ruled that it had not been filed within the required time. WISN reported at that hearing that Zollicoffer had pleaded not guilty, was being held on $1 million bail and had a trial scheduled for November. The denial left Borowski assigned to the case. It did not address the merits of the homicide accusations.
Two other defendants have appeared in court over allegations connected to the period after the shootings. Prosecutors accuse Sengchanh Phengphonsavanh of transporting Zollicoffer after the Pierce Street deaths and charged him with harboring or aiding a felon. Elena Cole, identified in local reporting as Zollicoffer’s cousin, was separately charged with harboring or aiding a felon and with three counts of neglecting a child. Authorities allege she allowed Zollicoffer to stay in her home after he told her he had killed people, even though her children were there. Their cases have separate elements and defenses and do not determine the outcome of Zollicoffer’s homicide trial.
The victims’ relatives have remained visible during the proceedings. Family members filled the courtroom for the Aug. 24 hearing and reacted emotionally as a detective described the killings. DeHerrera’s loved ones have said she was the mother of two boys. Bucholz’s relatives described him as a loyal friend who had tried to help her during a dangerous dispute. Hare’s family said she was a Navy veteran and a mother whose relatives remembered her as full of life. Their presence has underscored the human consequences of the case while the court remains bound to decide the charges through evidence and law rather than grief or accusation.
The prosecution now approaches the stage at which pretrial motions, evidentiary questions and witness preparation become increasingly important. The complaint lays out the state’s allegations, the preliminary hearing established probable cause and the communication order addresses concerns about protecting witnesses. None substitutes for a trial verdict. Zollicoffer’s not-guilty plea requires the state to prove each charged offense, and his defense will have the opportunity to challenge witness testimony, physical evidence, police procedures and statements attributed to him.
With the request for a new judge denied, Zollicoffer remained on course for the Oct. 8 final pretrial hearing and a November trial. Until the case is resolved by a plea or verdict, he is presumed innocent of the homicide and firearm charges. The coming proceedings will determine whether prosecutors can convert the accounts collected after a chaotic night in Milwaukee into proof meeting the criminal standard required for conviction.
Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.