Exclusive: Mother speaks out after daughter strangled by ex-husband in Brookfield

Updated 9:15 p.m. November 21, 2018

UPDATE: BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The mother of the Brookfield woman found murdered in her home is speaking out.

Lisa Orfield, Madeline's mother, says her daughter was set to move home to Minnesota next week in an effort to leave her abusive husband who she filed for divorce from.

Madeline was a member of the U.S. Army and a straight-A college student.

"Madeline was one of the biggest hearts you could ever ask for," Orfield said. "She was artistic, beautiful, and would do anything for anyone."

Orfield says Kim abused Madeline all through the course of their two-year marriage and that she feared for her daughter's life.

"You don't know how to get involved without pushing your child away," Orfield said.

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BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A 29-year-old Brookfield man has been arrested after allegedly strangling his ex-wife. 

Sunkeun Kim is facing several charges including First Degree Intentional Homicide, Felony Bail Jumping, Strangulation and Suffocation, Disorderly Conduct, and Misdemeanor Battery.

According to the criminal complaint, officers were called to a condo on Brookfield Lake Drive on Saturday. The 911 caller reported that she came home and found her roommate, later identified as Madeline Kim, deceased. 

The roommate told police she last saw Madeline alive on Thursday around 5 p.m.

Officers spoke with the neighbors who said they heard several loud bumps in a row sometime after midnight on Saturday. One neighbor told police that he saw a black Toyota SUV parked in a spot that belonged to residents who were out of town.

Due to previous police contacts, authorities knew that the suspect, Sunkeun Kim, drives a black Toyota RAV-4.

On September 24, Sunkeun had made an appearance in court for Strangulation, Battery, and Disorderly Conduct for incidents that Madeline was the victim of. Sunkeun was released on a $15,000 signature bond that day and ordered not to have contact with Madeline.

Following that incident, Madeline had allegedly told officers that she was scared of Sunkeun but she loved him and didn't want him to get in trouble. She also allegedly told authorities that she thought the physical abuse would continue and was progressively getting worse.

According to the criminal complaint, Madeline had filed for divorce at the end of October., 

Officers were unable to locate Madeline's phone on the day she was found dead.

Officers searched Sunkeun's phone and learned that he had searched "shoehorn ankle bracelet trick" "dog murder" "if you are stabbed in the neck" and "Aurora hospital sexual assault."

Sunkeun was arrested and allegedly told caseworkers that "I need you to tell my attorney I did the homicide."

Madeline's cause of death was ruled manual strangulation.