On a rural road in the town of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, the body of 26-year-old Nicholas Day, a White male, was discovered by a passerby on the afternoon of January 15, 2020. Initially, investigators believed he was the victim of a fatal hit-and-run, struck by a vehicle while out for a jog. However, an autopsy soon painted a much more brutal and calculated picture of the young man's final moments.
The Dane County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Day had died from 'homicidal violence,' revealing he had been shot and stabbed multiple times in the neck. This revelation shifted the investigation into a homicide, leaving the small, tight-knit communities of Blue Mounds and nearby Mount Horeb in a state of shock and fear.
Nicholas, known as 'Nick' to his friends and family, was a U.S. Navy veteran who had served as an F-18 Super Hornet mechanic. He was remembered as a loving father to a three-year-old daughter, a beloved son who grew up on a family dairy farm, and a man with a passion for running and working on engines. His friends and family were devastated, struggling to comprehend why anyone would target a man described as someone who 'never made anyone mad.' The seemingly random and violent nature of the crime left the community grappling with unanswered questions and a sense of unease.
The Dane County Sheriff's Office launched an intensive investigation, going door-to-door and searching for any surveillance footage that might offer a clue. About a month after the discovery of Day's body, on February 13, 2020, authorities announced an arrest. Riley L. Berg, a 21-year-old man from the nearby village of Mount Horeb, was taken into custody and charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Despite the arrest, a clear motive remained elusive; investigators could find no connection between Berg and Day, leading Sheriff David Mahoney to describe the killing as 'cold, calculated and extremely violent.'
The legal proceedings that followed revealed Berg's history of mental health issues, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. His competency to stand trial became a central issue, with the court finding him not competent on multiple occasions, which suspended the case while he received treatment. Eventually, after his competency was restored, Berg pleaded guilty to the murder in early 2022. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole eligibility set for 2053. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice, but for the family of Nicholas Day and the shaken community, the senseless loss of a young father and veteran on a quiet country road left an indelible scar.
