Justin Michael Daniels, a 28-year-old Caucasian male, tragically lost his life on Saturday, September 27, 2014, in Berlin, Wisconsin. His death was part of a double homicide that also claimed the life of 28-year-old Melissa Jane Georgeson Tuinstra. On that late evening, a person walking down Broadway Street discovered what they initially thought was a Halloween prank but was soon identified as Melissa Tuinstra's body on the sidewalk. When police entered a nearby apartment building, they found Justin Daniels fatally shot and lying partially in the hallway and an apartment. Both victims had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly centered on a person of interest. Nicholas Tuinstra, the 33-year-old estranged husband of Melissa Tuinstra, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the deaths. The couple had reportedly filed for divorce just days before the killings. The criminal complaint against Nicholas Tuinstra indicated that he was upset about the divorce.
During the investigation, a disturbing voicemail left by Justin Daniels on a friend's phone at 10:14 p.m. on the night of the murders captured the sound of two loud gunshots, followed by fainter noises that may have been additional gunshots. In the aftermath of the homicides, an Amber Alert was issued for an eight-year-old girl related to the residence where the incident occurred, as her whereabouts were unknown. She was later found safe with relatives. Nicholas Tuinstra faced life in prison for each of the homicide charges brought against him.
