Suffocation Murder Trial – Day 3: The medical examiner will testify in the ex-cop’s trial

By admin On Nov 8, 2023

Testimony continues today in the reckless murder trial of former Milwaukee police officer Michael Mattioli.

Mattioli resigned from the force after 13 years when he was formally charged On the death of Joel Acevedo.

Prosecutors say Mattioli and Acevedo were friends who spent the night partying with two other men at Mattioli’s home in Milwaukee when a fight broke out between Mattioli and Acevedo.

Attorney Paul Leonard Tiffin in Wisconsin state court shows Michael Mattioli's attorney Michael F. Hart, left, a gallery before presenting him to Andrew Janowski, Mattioli's friend and state's witness, as he recalls the night and day of April 2020 during the second day of Mattioli's jury trial on Tuesday, 7 November 2023 before Judge David Swanson at the Public Safety Building in Milwaukee. Mattioli is charged with first-degree reckless homicide of Joel Acevedo. — Attorney Paul Leonard Tiffin in Wisconsin state court shows Michael Mattioli’s attorney Michael F. Hart, left, a gallery before presenting him to Andrew Janowski, Mattioli’s friend and state’s witness, as he recalls the night and day of April 2020 during the second day of Mattioli’s jury trial on Tuesday, 7 November 2023 before Judge David Swanson at the Public Safety Building in Milwaukee. Mattioli is charged with first-degree reckless homicide of Joel Acevedo.

Mattioli was off duty at the time and told investigators he placed Acevedo, 25, in a “rear-naked chokehold” for 10 minutes during the skirmish. Acevedo died from his injuries in April 2020, about a week later.

Mattioli has pleaded not guilty.

Wednesday is the third day of the trial in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Swanson’s courtroom.

Here is a summary of what happened in court the previous day:

Christopher Peters and Andrew Janowski, Mattioli’s old friends, were the other two men at Mattioli’s house the morning Acevedo was shot. Mattioli accused Acevedo of theft and asked him to leave, but Acevedo refused. The men testified Tuesday that Acevedo punched Peters twice and Janowski helped Mattioli subdue him to police.

Members of Acevedo’s family cried and hugged each other as they, along with jurors, were shown footage from Robert Roach’s camera. He was the first Milwaukee officer to respond to the call. Mattioli was seen in a 9-minute video above Acevedo, who was face down and unresponsive. Roach testified that he checked for a pulse, but was unable to find it. He performed CPR on Acevedo until EMT personnel arrived.

A video was shown of Mattioli’s jurors speaking with Detective David E. Daland. Mattioli, who had a loud voice and sometimes used profanity, admitted to Daland that he was intoxicated, but said he was trying to detain Acevedo until officers arrived. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Mattioli told the investigator.

Here’s what to expect today:

Prosecutors intend to call Weslo Tlumack, chief medical examiner for Milwaukee County, to testify for the state. She expected to talk about the cause of Acevedo’s death.