KENOSHA, Wis. — TMJ4 News is asking several questions as the Kenosha community has been left on edge over the past few days, after a homicide suspect was on the run for more than 24 hours.
33-year-old Marckus Plaza is charged with killing his estranged wife, Makayla Plaza, Wednesday.
Thursday, Kenosha Police found Marckus hiding in a Kenosha salon's basement.
Court records show that Makayla Plaza was denied a restraining order months before this happened. That same month, Marckus Plaza was arrested for disorderly conduct and battery.
Those charges were referred to the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, but were never formally filed against Marckus Plaza.
TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter, Jenna Rae, sits down with Kenosha County's top law enforcement officer to get answers.
"Do you think that you failed Makayla and her family?" Rae asked Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis.
"No, and we take this case seriously," he responded.
Watch: Kenosha County D.A. answers questions after homicide suspect's 24-hour manhunt
It's a case that leaves two young children without their mother and a plethora of questions.
"People with histories, with patterns, they need to be held accountable for their actions," Korey Williams, Makayla Plaza's boyfriend, said.
A criminal complaint states that Marckus Plaza stabbed his estranged wife to death in their home after police were called there for a wellness check on Wednesday.
It's a home that has a history with the Kenosha Police.
Kenosha Police Department reports, obtained by TMJ4 News, show that since January 11, Makayla had reported issues with Marckus' behavior on five separate occasions.
In early February, court documents show Makayla tried to file a restraining order against him, but that was denied by a judge who said she didn't meet the burden of proof.
Also in February, KPD arrested Marckus and referred charges to the DA's office twice, including charges for battery and disorderly conduct.
"These charges were not filed?" Rae asked DA Solis.
"No. They were not filed, no," Solis responded.
KPD's Chief said Marckus allegedly punched and pulled a knife on Williams, Makayla's boyfriend.
Williams confirmed there was an altercation.
"I understand that you said that the disorderly conduct and the battery had nothing to do with the victim, but that's not necessarily true," Rae said.
"Under the law, it was not domestic abuse," Solis responded.
"That's correct, but given the history?" Rae said.
"There's not a mandatory reporting with the restraining order, due to the fact that it's a civil matter and a civil action, my office would not get notification of that," Solis explained.
It's a notification that would have triggered a more swift response from the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office, but that never happened since the restraining order was denied.
"So if the restraining order was there, then yes, it would've been a lot faster and would've been more efficient, correct," Solis said.
"So, is it fair to say that it's a system failure?" Rae asked.
"System failure overall if you want to look at it. I can only, what comes into my office and control like what happens inside my office," Solis answered.
TMJ4 called Court Commissioner William Michel, the commissioner who presided over Makayla's restraining order, twice over the past two days to ask why the petition was dismissed. We're still waiting to hear back.
"My office did whatever we could to our ability to get this individual charged and to get him apprehended and get him in custody," Solis said.
"Do you think that you guys could have put some of this effort in initially in February? Do you think you could have done more?" Rae asked.
"That's how the procedure works. The TRO (temporary restraining order) was denied. Due to the fact there was no TRO, it does not flag in the system. It's unfortunate that that did not trigger to the system, so I believe we did the most we can for the situation that we're in," Solis explained.
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