In the early morning hours of July 7, 2015, a sequence of events set in motion by a planned drug transaction would leave two men dead on a Milwaukee street. Wilbert Suarez-Otero, a 30-year-old male, and his associate, 29-year-old Victor Burgos-Rosario, were discovered with fatal gunshot wounds in the 600 block of West Arthur Avenue. Their bodies were found lying in the roadway, and both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Autopsies would later confirm that both men died from gunshot wounds to the head, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
The investigation into the double homicide revealed a story of a drug deal that had taken a violent turn. According to the criminal complaint, Suarez-Otero had contacted Burgos-Rosario to purchase cocaine. Burgos-Rosario, not having any, arranged to get the drugs from a man known as "Carlito," who was later identified as 21-year-old Curtis J. Wilke. The two men met at Suarez-Otero's home in the 500 block of West Arthur Avenue to await Wilke's arrival. It was during this time that they allegedly conspired to rob Wilke of the cocaine. In preparation for the robbery, one of the men armed himself with a knife.
Surveillance video from a nearby store captured a dark-colored SUV, later identified as Wilke's black Chevrolet Suburban, stopping at the location where the bodies were found at 4:48 a.m. The vehicle remained stationary for several minutes before driving away at 4:56 a.m. A witness reported hearing three gunshots shortly before 5:00 a.m. When Wilke arrived for the transaction, Suarez-Otero and Burgos-Rosario entered his vehicle. The ensuing confrontation inside the Suburban resulted in the shooting deaths of both men. Upon examination, authorities found a pair of kitchen-style scissors in Burgos-Rosario's pocket and a fixed-blade kitchen knife concealed in Suarez-Otero's underwear.
The investigation quickly led police to Curtis J. Wilke. After tracing the Chevrolet Suburban to him, officers executed a search warrant at his residence on July 11. In a burn pit on the property, they discovered an automobile speaker cover, interior wood-pattern molding, and a seat belt assembly, all consistent with parts from a Chevrolet Suburban. Police also found a manual for a Ruger SP101 revolver. A ballistics examination of a bullet fragment recovered from Suarez-Otero's body determined it was fired from a. 38 or. 357 caliber revolver. Wilke was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide for the deaths of Wilbert Suarez-Otero and Victor Burgos-Rosario. His bail was set at $300,000.
