On a tragic day in May of 2016, the life of Nicholas J. Chaulkin, a 17-year-old White/Caucasian male, was cut short in a horrifying sequence of events in Burlington, Wisconsin. On May 14th, the house where the teenager lived with his mother, Kimberly Howe, was consumed by a sudden fire and a violent explosion that leveled the home. First responders arrived at the devastating scene on Ketterhagen Road to find the remains of three individuals within the wreckage.
In the aftermath, as investigators from the Racine County Sheriff's Office sifted through the debris, a much darker story began to emerge from the ashes. The incident was not a tragic accident but a deliberate act of foul play. The investigation revealed that Nicholas had been shot in the back of the head, and his death was officially ruled a homicide. Medical examination determined that he had no smoke in his lungs, indicating that he had been killed before the fire was set. The severe nature of the fire made it difficult for the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death for his mother, Kimberly Howe, and a third individual found at the scene.
The focus of the investigation soon turned to Craig A. Lambert, Kimberly Howe's 41-year-old boyfriend who had been living with the family. It was discovered that just before the fire, Howe had asked Lambert to move out of the house. Seeking refuge from the escalating tension, Howe and her son Nicholas had spent the night before the explosion at a hotel. Investigators concluded that Lambert was responsible for the deaths of both Nicholas and Kimberly. Evidence suggested that after killing them, he intentionally caused the fire and explosion. Lambert also perished in the blaze he had set. With the perpetrator deceased, the investigation into the tragic deaths was closed.
