On the evening of January 23, 2017, the life of 27-year-old Maryory Roig-Cartagena was tragically cut short in a violent encounter on Milwaukee's south side. Inside a residence near 13th and Montana, what began as a verbal argument escalated into a fatal shooting. First responders, arriving around 8:15 p.m., discovered Roig-Cartagena on the kitchen floor, unresponsive. Despite their efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy would later reveal that she had sustained four gunshot wounds to her head.
The incident also left a 28-year-old man seriously injured. He had been shot in the chest but managed to escape the house and call for help. Found in a nearby alley, he was able to provide police with a name for the shooter: "Rubio." This crucial piece of information led investigators to 24-year-old Christopher Figueroa-Ortiz. He was arrested two days later in connection with the double shooting.
During questioning, Figueroa-Ortiz admitted to shooting both Roig-Cartagena and the male victim. According to the criminal complaint, he claimed that during an argument, Roig-Cartagena had pulled a gun on him, but it failed to fire. He stated that he then took the gun from her and shot her. A witness account included in the complaint described Roig-Cartagena punching Figueroa-Ortiz during their argument, after which he allegedly pulled out a gun and shot her multiple times. Following the shooting, Figueroa-Ortiz stated that the other man entered the house, at which point he "executed" him before fleeing. Figueroa-Ortiz was subsequently charged with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
