Jury trial moving forward for former Milwaukee police officer accused of killing man with chokehold in 2020

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A former Milwaukee police officer appeared in court Monday for a final pre-trial hearing in a homicide case.

Michael Mattioli is charged with first degree reckless homicide in the death of Joel Acevedo in 2020.

Mattioli will finally sit in front of a jury next month, after more than three years of delays and back and forth between the state and his attorneys.

The final pre-trial hearing was rescheduled eight times since March of 2022, and Mattioli's jury trial has been rescheduled three times.

At Monday's final pre-trial hearing, both parties said they are ready to move forward.

Acevedo's family says it's about time.

"We have been trying to deal with this for the last three-and-a-half years, and has been no closure," said Jose Acevedo, the victim's father.

Mattioli was off duty the night of April 19, 2020, when he put Joel Acevedo in a chokehold during a party.

Acevedo died from his injuries.

Acevedo's father said he's recently seen body camera footage from that night, which is expected to be used in trial.

"You can only try to avoid this trial for so long, but now it's come to the point in time that he's going to have to face the truth, and the truth is, he killed my son," Jose Acevedo said.

Now, with trial finally moving forward, his family is hoping for more transparency after a grueling process.

"It's been a nightmare, and I don't wish that on my worst enemy," Acevedo said.

The jury trial is set to begin Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in the Milwaukee County Safety Building.