WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha man defending himself in a murder trial has been found guilty.
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A Waukesha County jury found Kevin Lychwick guilty of murdering his neighbor, Carlos Maldonado, in 2024 and hiding his body. The jury reached its verdict in less than an hour.
Lychwick, who represented himself throughout the trial, did not testify and did not call any witnesses on the final day. When he learned of the verdict, he said:
"I don't know what to say at this point."
The trial was marked by frequent outbursts from Lychwick. On the final day, Lychwick was more composed, using his closing argument to make a direct appeal to the jury.
"I am a good man. I am a God-fearing Christian. I just want to go home. If you have any doubts about my guilt, please find me not guilty," Lychwick said.
Prosecutors used their closing argument to argue the evidence against Lychwick was overwhelming. They pointed to notes that listed Maldonado as the first "target," along with trail camera footage showing Lychwick carrying a shovel, tarp, boots, and black garbage bags toward the hill where Maldonado's body was eventually found.
Ballistics testing matched a 9mm Luger found in Lychwick's car trunk to two bullets recovered from Maldonado. State crime lab DNA testing placed Lychwick's profile on the grip of the weapon, with odds of another match at one in a quadrillion.
Before the jury left to deliberate, prosecutors brought the focus back to Maldonado's family.
"Mr. Maldonado had plans with his daughter — and she never anticipated he wasn't coming back to his apartment that night," prosecutor Thompson said.
Juror Jonathan Branski reflected on the unusual nature of the proceedings after the verdict.
"It was definitely a bit surreal but going through it too. Not a very standard trial either. It was one of those we didn't know what to expect," Branski said.
Maldonado's family and prosecutors declined to comment following the verdict.
Lychwick requested a pre-sentencing investigation. That is scheduled for August 20.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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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