A 54-year-old Wisconsin man is facing first-degree intentional homicide charges after allegedly running over his longtime roommate with a pickup truck in broad daylight, killing him in front of multiple witnesses.
Authorities say Chad Michael Martinez was arrested earlier this month for the death of 50-year-old John Bacher, whom he allegedly struck and dragged more than 100 feet through a Milwaukee intersection. Court records confirm Martinez has been formally charged and remains in custody.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers from the Milwaukee Police Department responded at approximately 5:15 p.m. on August 10 to reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle near South Muskego Avenue and West Burnham Street.
When they arrived, paramedics from the Milwaukee Fire Department were already tending to Bacher, who later died while being transported to a hospital.
One witness, who had been “riding his tricycle” nearby, described seeing a beige Ford F-150 near the El Jaliscience car dealership before the deadly incident. The affidavit states:
“[The witness] remained at the corner waiting to cross the street and observed the F150 truck had made a U-turn on Burnham St and was traveling westbound on Burnham St towards Bacher. [The witness] observed Bacher crossing the street and suddenly the F150 truck maneuvered around a vehicle and accelerated towards Bacher and deliberately struck Bacher. [The witness] observed the F150 did not stop upon striking Bacher, and instead continued to maneuver in a ‘zig-zag’ fashion and accelerate while Bacher was crushed and stuck under the vehicle, until Bacher was ultimately dislodged from beneath the vehicle on the other side (west side) of the intersection. [The witness] indicated the driver of the F150 appeared to target Bacher by once more running him over, then the F150 fled the scene westbound on Burnham St.”
The witness added that Bacher’s body was “badly mangled” following the attack.
Police later reviewed surveillance footage that confirmed the eyewitness account. Investigators stated the video made it “apparent” that Martinez deliberately targeted his roommate. The victim’s body was discovered more than 100 feet from where the initial collision occurred.
Authorities traced the truck to the dealership and found it still running in the lot. Officers discovered Martinez slumped in the driver’s seat. According to police reports, he “had a strong odor of alcohol and an odor of urine emanating from his person” and “stumbled” as he exited the vehicle.
A breath test later revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.215, nearly three times the legal limit in Wisconsin.
Detectives also noted that the truck’s bumper was smeared with blood “consistent with having run over a person.”
In a police interview, Martinez admitted that Bacher was his roommate and colleague at El Jaliscience, adding that the two had been friends for 25 years. He insisted, however, that he had no memory of running him over. The affidavit further quoted Martinez:
“Defendant stated he and Bacher were at work (at ‘El Jaliscience’) the night before (Saturday night, August 9 into August 10) and returned home around 9am on the morning of August 10. The Defendant stated he then fell asleep and woke up around 2:30pm and started drinking whiskey and thought he drank about a liter of whiskey. The Defendant stated that he and Bacher then went to Pick N Save near 76th & Cold Spring Road and then returned home at which time the Defendant drank more whiskey and passed out on the couch. The Defendant stated that the next thing he remembers is the police trying to get him to do field sobriety tests.”
A judge has set bond at $250,000 cash, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 25.
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