In the quiet township of Leeds, near Poynette, Wisconsin, the life of a 35-year-old White male named Keith R. Wolf was tragically cut short on the night of September 27, 2019. What began as an ordinary evening at home with his wife turned into a scene of violence and loss that would leave a family shattered and a community in search of answers. Hearing a suspicious noise emanating from the basement of his rural residence, Wolf, a man described as a good-standing member of his community, took
his gun to investigate the disturbance.
His wife, upstairs, made a frantic 911 call around 9:20 p.m., reporting that her husband had been shot. She had looked down the stairs to find him deceased. When authorities arrived at the Bradley Road home, they found Keith Wolf dead from a gunshot wound. The initial investigation quickly shifted from a suspicious death to a homicide, launching a multi-jurisdictional effort to uncover the truth behind the senseless act. For over a year, the case remained a painful mystery for Wolf's family and friends, who were themselves part of the intensive investigation, a process that at times made them feel like suspects in their own loved one's murder.
The breakthrough in the case came in February 2021. After conducting numerous interviews and meticulously processing forensic evidence, including DNA and ballistics, investigators executed a search warrant in West Allis, Wisconsin. This led to the arrest of Jason Allen Kijewski, then 43 years old. A critical piece of evidence that linked Kijewski to the crime was DNA recovered from a mask he wore during a police interview. During the search of Kijewski's residence, law enforcement also recovered the handgun used in the homicide.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Kijewski had chosen Wolf's home at random to burglarize, driven by a need for money. He claimed to have never met Wolf or been to Columbia County before that fatal night. In December 2022, Jason Kijewski was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Keith Wolf, with the possibility of parole after 30 years. The resolution of the case brought a measure of closure to a grieving family and community, though the profound loss of a husband, brother, and friend remains.
