Prosecutors say the suspect admitted the attack after an argument at home.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Milwaukee man is facing a first-degree intentional homicide charge after prosecutors said he stabbed a woman 22 times inside the apartment they shared and then sent messages to her child that led the family to call 911 for help.
Investigators say the case turned quickly from a welfare check to a homicide investigation after officers arrived at an apartment on West National Avenue near South 36th Street late on Thu., Feb. 5. Authorities say the victim, 44-year-old Amanda Varisco, was found on the floor, unresponsive, and was pronounced dead at the scene. The defendant, Mile Dukic, 39, was arrested and later appeared in court, where bail was set at $500,000 cash as prosecutors outlined the basic allegations.
According to the criminal complaint summarized by investigators, the events began with a series of texts that alarmed Varisco’s family. Reports say one of Varisco’s children received messages and called 911, prompting officers to go to the apartment for a welfare check. In a separate account of the early moments, police were told that a family member’s boyfriend went to the apartment after the texts arrived and tried to get someone to open the door. The boyfriend reported that Dukic refused and said words to the effect of Varisco being “gone,” according to that report.
When police arrived, they found Varisco dead inside, authorities said. First responders attempted lifesaving measures but could not revive her. Investigators said Dukic was taken into custody. During the response, officers reported hearing Dukic say, “I didn’t want to do it,” while they were performing CPR on Varisco. Prosecutors later referenced that statement as they described the sequence of events and the decision to charge him with the most serious homicide count under Wisconsin law.
Investigators said Dukic described his relationship with Varisco in shifting terms during interviews. In one account, he told detectives the two were not long-term romantic partners but sometimes had a sexual relationship. Prosecutors, in court, said the pair lived together and had been in a relationship. Authorities have not said how long they lived in the apartment or how recently their relationship status may have changed, but filings describe a dispute that escalated when Varisco received a phone call from another man and indicated she wanted to leave.
According to investigators’ summary of the complaint, Dukic told officials he asked Varisco not to go and the two began arguing. Prosecutors allege the argument turned physical. The complaint says Dukic punched Varisco, pushed her to the ground and continued to hit her. The complaint then alleges he used a knife to stab her repeatedly in the chest and torso. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office reported Varisco suffered 22 stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, along with wounds to her hands and arms, injuries investigators have described as consistent with defensive wounds.
Prosecutors say the messages sent after the attack are a key part of why police were called and how quickly family members realized something was wrong. In court, a prosecutor said Dukic sent a text message to Varisco’s daughter stating that he killed her mother. Investigators also described a text message in which Dukic allegedly blamed Varisco and referenced her speaking with another man. Police have not said whether they recovered Dukic’s phone at the scene or whether additional digital evidence, such as call logs or location data, will be part of the case later.
Dukic is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors also charged him with felony bail jumping counts, saying he had other cases pending when Varisco was killed. Court records referenced in reports said he had open cases that included bail jumping and stalking allegations. Those pending matters, prosecutors say, are part of why additional charges were filed and why the court considered a high cash bail.
Dukic’s first court appearance drew attention when he tried to speak before the hearing was formally underway. Appearing by video while cuffed to a hospital bed, he asked whether Varisco’s family was present and said he wanted to apologize. The court commissioner interrupted and directed him not to make statements before being questioned, a reminder that defendants’ comments can become evidence. It was not clear from the hearing why Dukic was in a hospital at the time of his appearance.
The bail decision kept Dukic in custody and set the case on a standard track for serious felonies in Milwaukee County. After an initial appearance, the next step is typically a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors present enough evidence to show probable cause that a felony was committed and that the defendant likely committed it. If a judge finds probable cause, the case proceeds to arraignment and, later, motions and trial scheduling. Many homicide cases also involve forensic testing and extensive discovery that can take months, including lab results and the review of digital records.
In the meantime, the allegations have intensified public concern about domestic violence and lethal conflicts behind closed doors. Local advocates have said domestic violence homicides are rising faster at the start of 2026 than they did a year earlier. They have also said that differences in definitions can lead to different totals between police classifications and advocacy tracking, especially early in a year when cases are still being reviewed. Still, the Varisco case has been cited as an example of how quickly a dispute can turn deadly and how family members are often pulled into the crisis through urgent calls and messages.
Varisco’s death also left a large family grieving. A fundraising page created by relatives described her as a mother of four and a grandmother of five, and asked for help with funeral expenses. Friends and loved ones have not spoken at length publicly about the relationship described in court filings. Prosecutors and police have also not released details about whether there were prior calls for service to the apartment or whether any protective orders were in place, information that sometimes becomes public later through court testimony or records.
What happens next will depend on court dates and the pace of evidence collection. Prosecutors said Dukic was scheduled to return to court the following week after bail was set. Reports also noted a separate future court date tied to prior pending charges in March. A preliminary hearing, if held, could provide the first fuller public account of the evidence as investigators and witnesses are called to testify about the welfare check, the arrest and the messages that triggered the 911 call.
For now, Dukic remains jailed while the case moves forward. Prosecutors say the core facts are supported by the medical examiner’s findings, statements attributed to Dukic and the text messages that prompted Varisco’s family to seek help late on Feb. 5.
Author note: Last updated February 13, 2026.