In the quiet community of Mazomanie, Wisconsin, the life of Chris Schwichtenberg, a 39-year-old Caucasian male, was tragically cut short on the night of February 9, 2015. What began as a seemingly ordinary evening in his mobile home ended in a devastating act of violence that also claimed the life of a local teenager.
The catalyst for the events of that fatal night was the recent breakup of a teenage romance.
Seventeen-year-old Dean Sutcliffe was reportedly distraught after his girlfriend ended their relationship and moved from Mazomanie to her father's home in Deerfield a couple of weeks prior. In the days leading up to the incident, Sutcliffe's distress escalated into threats. He sent text messages to his ex-girlfriend, explicitly threatening her 16-year-old sister, Ariyl Brady.
On the evening of February 9th, Sutcliffe took his father's. 22-caliber pistol and drove to Schwichtenberg's residence. Inside the mobile home were Schwichtenberg, Brady, and several other people. Sutcliffe entered the home and confronted Schwichtenberg, blaming him for the end of his relationship. Witnesses reported that Sutcliffe said, "You deserve this," before fatally shooting Schwichtenberg. He then turned the gun on Ariyl Brady, shooting and killing her as well. Both victims suffered gunshot wounds to the head.
After the shootings, Sutcliffe surrendered to authorities at the scene. He reportedly confessed to the killings, telling deputies, "I got into this one, and I ended up killing two people." He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. A court later set his bail at $2 million. The community was left in shock and mourning over the senseless loss of two lives.
