Man charged in Franklin motel homicide has history of violence against women
Updated: 11:22 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2023
FRANKLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- In court on Tuesday, Jan. 23 Orlando Pacheco's bond was set at $1 million.
Published: 2:19 p.m. on Jan. 18, 2023
*WARNING: This story contains graphic and upsetting details*
FRANKLIN, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Court records filed Thursday detailed multiple charges against a Milwaukee man who is accused of strangling a woman to death in a motel earlier this month, then choking and sexually assaulting another woman less than a week later.
Orlando Pacheco, 37, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Pacheco was also charged with strangulation and suffocation, as well as second-degree sexual assault for an alleged incident that happened less than a week after the murder.
Relatives identified the Franklin homicide victim as 41-year-old Michele Fisher, a mother of three. A family member told CBS 58 relatives were too distraught to do any interviews, but they wanted the public to know Fisher's name and to see her face.
Police have not identified the victim of a Jan. 5 homicide in Franklin, but relatives say her name is Michele Fisher, and she leaves behind three kids.
Franklin Police said officers responded to the Modern 41 Motel on S. 27th Street just before 5 a.m. Jan. 5, for a woman found lying on the floor. The criminal complaint stated her hands were tied behind her back and a belt was around her neck.
Police said the victim was not breathing and pronounced dead on scene.
Investigators said they talked to a woman in the motel room next door. She told them the night before the homicide, her friend, whom she knew as "Landon," had taken her to S. 21st St. and W. Greenfield Ave.
The woman told police she got into an argument with Pacheco when she asked him about rumors he'd raped and choked another woman on Greenfield Ave. Pacheco allegedly admitted to raping the woman and choking her with a dog leash.
The woman in the neighboring motel room then provided the phone number she had for "Landon." Police said it tracked back to Pacheco, and they arrested him at a bus stop on Jan. 11 after discovering calls between the victim's phone number and Pacheco's.
The complaint stated at the time of his arrest, Pacheco was with a woman who later told officers Pacheco had bound, gagged and strangled her before sexually assaulting her in his vehicle. The additional charges of strangulation and suffocation and second-degree sexual assault are in connection to this incident.
Pacheco's past history of hurting women
State court records show Pacheco was convicted of misdemeanor battery in June 2018. That case stemmed from a February 2018 incident at Pacheco's old home near S. 6th St. and W. Pierce St.
Pacheco's then-girlfriend told police he'd punched her in the face multiple times, grabbed at her private areas, then pinned the victim down and "put pressure" on her throat, cutting off her breathing.
Pacheco was originally charged with strangulation and suffocation, a felony, but that charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal that allowed Pacheco to plead guilty to misdemeanor battery with an enhancer for domestic abuse. He was sentenced to nine months in the county House of Correction.
Strangulation and suffocation is a Class H felony in Wisconsin, which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
In February 2010, a Milwaukee County judge granted a restraining order against Pacheco, which court records classified as related to domestic abuse. The judge's no contact order was effective until March of 2014.
Motel homicide recorded on Pacheco's phone
Investigators said when they arrested Pacheco, he was in possession of two cellphones. They said one of the phones contained video recordings that show him assaulting Fisher on Jan. 5, saying, "I will (explicit) choke you."
According to the complaint, at one point, Pacheco looked into the camera, which he set near the bed. The video allegedly showed Fisher struggling with Pacheco and pleading with him to stop as he puts his hand on her neck.
As the struggle continued, investigators said Pacheco's phone was jarred, knocking the people out of frame. However, police said they could still hear the sounds of a person choking and yelling for help.
A report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Fisher died from strangulation.
Court records show Pacheco is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Friday, Jan. 19 for the homicide case. He made his first appearance in connection to the sexual assault and strangulation charges on Wednesday, Jan. 17.