Crime & Safety

Wind Point Homicide Victim Was Talking With 911 When Throat Slashed, District Attorney Says

Sean Forester-Hoare, 29, is facing first-degree intentional homicide charges.

The 21-year-old homicide victim from Wind Point was stabbed in the throat while he was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, according to a criminal complaint released Tuesday by the Racine County District Attorney's office. 

Jonathan Kwiatkowski died early Monday after he, and his family, had a violent conflict with a neighbor, the complaint said. 

Sean Forester-Hoare, 29, lived three houses down from Kwiatkowski and his family, according to the DA's office. Forester-Hoare is accused of stabbing Kwiatkowski in the 5300 block of Valley Trail Monday morning.

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Court Commissioner Alice Rudebusch set Forester-Hoare’s bond for $500,000. If convicted, he faces a life sentence.

The criminal complaint outlines how Kwiatkowski died and says Forester-Hoare admitted to the stabbing and led police to the knife used in the homicide. 

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Wind Point Police Officer John Lewis responded to the scene first after a caller stated that Forester-Hoare was fighting with the Kwiatkowski family in their driveway, according to the criminal complaint.

Lewis reported that Jonathan, who was bleeding from the head and neck, was found in the living room face down with his mother, Lori Kwiatkowski, holding him in her arms. Jonathan called 911 at 2:11 a.m. asking for police to come because Forester-Hoare allegedly threatened to “cut his head off.” The dispatcher reported that she heard people struggling and then several minutes later Jonathan said in a raspy whisper, “he slashed my throat.”

A deputy with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department spoke to Jonathan at the hospital and he described his assailant, which matched Forester-Hoare’s description.

According to the criminal complaint, Lori told police Jonathan had just gotten home from his girlfriend’s house when he came to her and said Forester-Hoare had “followed him and was in the driveway upset.” There’s no indication of what Forester-Hoare was upset about, but Lori told police she came downstairs and the front door was open. When she turned on the lights, she saw Forester-Hoare yelling obscenities in the driveway. Jonathan’s father, Tim Kwiatkowski went outside and told Forester-Hoare he could tell the police about why he was upset. That’s when Forester-Hoare said he was going to “slice their throats.” When Lori came to the door, Jonathan was on the phone with the police and Lori told him to tell the dispatcher to get the police there quickly.

Lori told police Forester-Hoare then came up the driveway and punched Tim. She started screaming and then Forester-Hoare punched her. Jonathan and her other son, Cory, came outside when someone said they should get inside the house, but then they said “we have to get him off dad.” Forester-Hoare then punched Jonathan and he started running down the road and into the house. When Lori went inside she saw Jonathan was choking and she saw a hole in his neck. He later died from his injuries in the hospital.

When investigators with the Racine County Sheriff’s Department searched Forester-Hoare’s parent’s home, they found a set of keys and a computer with bloodstains. Blood was also found in several areas of the home, including the basement, the kitchen and garage. They also found a knife in the basement. The shirt he was wearing during the fight was also found in a washing machine.

During an interview with investigators, Forester-Hoare admitted he fought with the neighbors and pulled out a knife during the fight.

The criminal complaint did not indicate what the family and Forester-Hoare were fighting about nor did it mention any motive.

A preliminary hearing was set for 9 a.m. April 21, 2011 in Racine County Felony Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz’s courtroom.


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