MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man has been charged with homicide for allegedly shooting and killing his 29-year-old wife in their shared motel room in Milwaukee.
Lance Devon White was charged Sunday with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Alicia Machnik, 29, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 18.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Medical Examiner: 29-year-old woman found shot dead in Milwaukee motel room
Motel worker stumbles upon the crime scene
Prosecutors say she was found on the bed of her room at the Port Motel by a motel worker around 2:38 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Watch: Milwaukee man charged with homicide in wife's motel room shooting death
Also allegedly found in the room by investigators were numerous belongings of White, including his identification card, birth certificate, debit card, Social Security card and Quest card. Court documents also reveal that a single 9 mm cartridge casing, along with one intact bullet with what appeared to be blood on it, was found in the room.
Surveillance video captures the last moments Machnik was seen alive
Surveillance video allegedly captured White and Machnik checking into the motel Jan. 12 around 1 p.m. — a routine White allegedly told investigators was common for the couple, who had been staying at motels lately.
Two days later, a motel worker allegedly spoke to Machnik Jan. 14 around 11:30 a.m. when he went to clean their room. She allegedly informed him that she would be staying an additional night at the motel.
In response, the worker allegedly told her to head to the front desk and pay for the additional night — something he says she never did.
Prosecutors say that less than 10 minutes later, surveillance captured White leaving their motel room at 11:36 a.m., which they say is the last time anyone was seen entering or exiting the room before Machnik’s body was discovered just over three hours later.
The discovery was made around 2:38 p.m., when the worker said he returned to Machnik’s room and found her lying dead on her bed.
White’s arrest detailed
White was arrested at St. Luke’s Hospital on Jan. 14 around 8:30 p.m. after his family contacted police and informed them they had taken him to the hospital.
In an interview with investigators, his mother allegedly said she received a text from White the day of the homicide and that he asked her to come home.
Upon her arrival, she allegedly told investigators she found her son outside her home “looking disheveled and dirty” and that he seemed “off.” She allegedly had him take a shower before driving him to St. Luke’s, where he was arrested.
Alleged confession
After his arrest, White allegedly confessed to the homicide in an interview with detectives, claiming Machnik had asked him to shoot her.
White said the alleged reason she gave was that her child’s father was “getting out of prison in eleven months and was going to kill them.”
White claimed she asked him to “shoot her at the spot his name is tattooed on her face.” After allegedly carrying out the shooting, White told detectives he fled the room in shock and discarded the gun in a sewer near some apartment buildings.
He allegedly said he then walked to a nearby motel where he attempted to check in but was denied a room due to a lack of identification.
Couple’s alleged troubled history
In an interview with detectives, Machnik’s mother said she had a bad feeling her daughter was killed after seeing a post on Facebook detailing a homicide investigation at the Port Motel.
She expressed concerns about her daughter’s relationship with White, saying she had “spiraled out of control” ever since marrying him about a year ago.
Machnik’s mother also told investigators she was concerned about “unusual activity” on her daughter’s phone, which her “on and off” boyfriend of five years had access to.
The boyfriend allegedly told detectives he had been dating Machnik off and on for the past five years, paid for her cell phone and regularly sent her money, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors say that on Jan. 14, he noticed several Uber rides recorded on Machnik’s phone, including one that dropped her off at the Port Motel, one that picked her up from the Midpoint Motel, and one that dropped her off at 7207 W. Potomac Ave. around 3:45 p.m., which prosecutors say is an address near White’s mother’s home.
What’s next
White was in court for an initial appearance Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to court records.
If convicted, he faces life in prison.
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