Investigators said a disagreement over cooking chicken at home escalated into a fatal knife wound inside a Wisconsin Avenue apartment.
LAC LA BELLE, Wis. — A criminal complaint says a Wisconsin woman admitted stabbing her boyfriend after he brought chicken to her apartment to cook instead of taking her out Friday night.
The complaint is the clearest public account so far of the death of Lukas John Rosch, 25, and the charge against his girlfriend, Mikayla R. Kloth, 27. Prosecutors charged Kloth with first-degree intentional homicide after officers found Rosch with a chest wound at her apartment in the Village of Lac La Belle. The document describes a 911 call, a wounded man on the floor, alleged admissions by Kloth and a prior report that Rosch had been afraid of her about a week earlier.
According to the complaint, Rosch had communicated with Kloth about coming to her apartment and making dinner. He arrived with chicken drumsticks and seasoning. Kloth told investigators she had wanted to go out to eat or go to a bar rather than stay in. The disagreement became the stated starting point of the homicide case. Prosecutors have not said the fight lasted long, and the public record does not include a full minute-by-minute account. What is known is that by 6:48 p.m., police were being dispatched to the Wisconsin Avenue apartment.
When officers arrived, they found Rosch lying on his back with blood coming from his chest, investigators said. Kloth was in the apartment. Police said she told an officer she had stabbed him because she was angry. Rosch was taken for emergency medical care and was later pronounced dead. Local police said the knife wound struck his heart. The complaint does not publicly identify every item seized from the apartment, but the knife and the statements made at the scene are expected to be key pieces of evidence in the prosecution.
Kloth’s version, as summarized by police, included a claim that Rosch had handled the knife. She allegedly said he grabbed the knife by the sharp edge. Prosecutors said she admitted that she then stabbed him in the chest. That sequence leaves several facts for later court hearings, including where the knife was before the argument, how it came into the confrontation and whether forensic testing supports either side’s account. Authorities have not released a full evidence inventory, photographs from the apartment or any forensic report on fingerprints, blood patterns or injuries to Kloth.
The complaint also reaches back to an earlier incident. Investigators said Rosch told another woman and his landlord about a fight roughly a week before the stabbing. Rosch allegedly said Kloth had bitten his thumb. The landlord told police Rosch appeared afraid and that Rosch asked the woman to take his full name in case something ever happened to him. Prosecutors included that account as background, but they have not publicly said whether the earlier incident was reported to law enforcement before April 24 or whether any formal domestic violence case existed before Rosch’s death.
The legal question at this stage is narrow but serious. Kloth is presumed innocent unless convicted, but the charge filed against her is Wisconsin’s most severe homicide count. First-degree intentional homicide carries life in prison upon conviction. At her first appearance Monday, Court Commissioner David Herring set cash bond at $2 million. Herring referred to the alleged admissions described by police when discussing the case in court. Kloth remained in custody after the hearing, and the next scheduled step was set for May 29.
Rosch’s relatives have spoken publicly in brief statements, adding a personal record to the legal one. His family said they were “completely broken” and described him as loving, giving and kindhearted. His obituary says he was born Jan. 30, 2001, in Waukesha and was survived by his parents, sisters, nieces, grandparents, other relatives, friends and his dog. At the bond hearing, Rosch’s father asked the court not to allow Kloth back onto the streets. The family also asked for privacy while grieving.
The preliminary hearing scheduled for May 29 could bring more detail about what officers saw and heard. Prosecutors may call an officer or detective to testify about the 911 call, the apartment scene, Kloth’s statements and the medical findings. Defense lawyers may ask about the timing of the statements, whether Kloth was questioned before or after being advised of her rights, and what evidence exists about the knife. The hearing will not be a full trial, but it can reveal which facts the state sees as strongest.
Until then, the complaint remains the main public guide to the case. It says a plan to cook dinner became an argument, the argument became a stabbing, and Rosch died the same night. Kloth remains held on $2 million cash bond ahead of the May 29 preliminary hearing.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.