MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee County judge ruled Thursday that Amando Lang, the man who stabbed and killed Ben Christianson in a random attack six years ago, will spend the rest of his life in a secure treatment facility in Franklin.
READ ALSO | Family of man murdered in 2019 stabbing ‘blindsided’ after learning alleged killer is back in the community
The ruling brings an end to a case that sparked outrage in the Greenfield community last summer.
Lang learned he will forever stay in the same mental healthcare facility where he has been living for months. Judge David Swanson said Lang will be able to leave the treatment facility on occasion, but only when accompanied by supervisors.
Watch: Judge orders man who killed Ben Christianson to remain in a secure treatment facility for life
Prosecutor Paul Tiffin presented the agreement in court.
"The state is asking the court to accept this plan," Tiffin said.
Swanson approved the plan, saying it is where Lang belongs and should alleviate concerns that what happened last summer will happen again.
"He's been doing very well and actually for the duration of the case, there have never been any issues," Swanson said.
"I have full faith that Mr. Lang will do well with this plan," Jaspen said.
The permanent placement is a far different living situation than the one Lang had for one month last summer. Milwaukee County health leaders revealed that his previous community release plan allowed him to come and go from a halfway house as he pleased.
That ended on June 15, 2025, when his mother called 911 to report Lang was experiencing hallucinations and having a mental health crisis at her home with no other supervision. The home was just blocks away from where he killed Christianson.
"It's wildly risky to not have him detained right now. We don't know what he is capable of," an officer said.
That incident was the first time prosecutors and police were informed that Lang was released back into the community. The case left Greenfield's police chief and mayor demanding answers, and the victim's family blindsided.
Milwaukee County's Behavioral Health Services Division admitted it was to blame for failing to notify the district attorney's office that Lang was released back into the community following several years at Mendota Mental Health Institute.
Lang's criminal case was reopened and he ultimately pleaded guilty, but was found not guilty by mental defect at the time of the murder. That means his criminal case once again turned into a civil commitment.
"So while I understand there have been some concerns in the community about this case, I just want to note, I think those concerns arose before DHS was directly involved. The court is satisfied that those concerns have been completely addressed in the plan that is in place here," Swanson said.
Lang has declined to comment to TMJ4 throughout the past year. TMJ4 reached out to Christianson's family today, but we have not heard back.
This story was reported on-air by Investigative Reporter Ben Jordan and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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