Kevin Lychwick was convicted of killing Carlos Maldonado and concealing his body near their Waukesha apartment building for months.
WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who killed his neighbor and left the victim’s concealed body in a wooded area for about six months was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ending a case prosecutors said was supported by surveillance footage, handwritten notes, ballistics and DNA evidence.
Kevin Lychwick was convicted June 11 of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of Carlos Maldonado. A Waukesha County jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding him guilty after a four-day trial in which Lychwick represented himself and repeatedly maintained that he was innocent. Judge David Maas imposed the life-without-parole sentence Aug. 20 and rejected Lychwick’s continued claims that police had framed him.
Maldonado disappeared in April 2024 from the Waukesha apartment complex where both men lived. His family searched for him for months before his remains were discovered Oct. 30, 2024, in a wooded area near the building. Authorities said the body had been concealed beneath a tarp and other material. Because of the condition of the remains, investigators initially had difficulty determining precisely what had happened before Maldonado died.
At trial, prosecutors argued that Lychwick intentionally killed Maldonado and then concealed his remains close to their homes. Prosecutor Chelsea Thompson told the court at sentencing that evidence indicated Maldonado had been shot twice. Prosecutors presented evidence that included trail-camera footage showing Lychwick making trips toward the wooded hillside where the body was later discovered. Other footage showed him carrying items toward the area during the months Maldonado was missing.
Investigators searching Lychwick’s property found handwritten documents that prosecutors said reflected grievances against multiple people. One set of notes was labeled “Operation Slop Shop” and identified Maldonado as a threat, according to testimony and local reporting from the trial. Police also recovered rope from Lychwick’s residence that investigators linked to rope associated with the concealed body.
Physical evidence became a major part of the prosecution’s case. Investigators found a 9 mm Luger in the trunk of Lychwick’s vehicle, and ballistics testing linked the weapon to bullets recovered from Maldonado, according to testimony reported by TMJ4. DNA testing also found Lychwick’s profile on the grip of the firearm. Prosecutors argued that the evidence, combined with the handwritten material and camera footage, established that Lychwick was responsible for the killing and the effort to hide Maldonado’s body.
Lychwick represented himself throughout the trial and did not call witnesses on the final day. He repeatedly disputed the prosecution’s evidence and accused authorities of wrongdoing. During closing arguments in June, he appealed directly to jurors and asked them to find him not guilty if they had doubts about the case. The jury returned guilty verdicts on both charges in less than an hour.
Maldonado’s relatives addressed the court before sentencing Thursday. His family said he had survived cancer and had been looking forward to continuing his life after going into remission. His daughter spoke about the loss of her father and the unanswered questions surrounding why he was killed. The judge had asked news organizations not to identify relatives who spoke at sentencing by name or show their faces.
Lychwick again denied killing Maldonado when given an opportunity to speak before the sentence was imposed. He said he intended to continue challenging the conviction. Maas sharply rejected those claims, citing Lychwick’s conduct during the case and the evidence presented at trial before ordering that he spend the remainder of his life in prison without parole.
The court also imposed a sentence on the conviction for hiding a corpse. Reports from the sentencing said the term includes 7½ years of confinement and is to run concurrently with the life sentence. The homicide conviction carries the controlling punishment, meaning Lychwick will not be eligible for release on parole.
Lychwick indicated in court that he plans to appeal his convictions. He is also scheduled to return to court for a restitution hearing in October, according to FOX6 Milwaukee. With Thursday’s sentence, the criminal case now moves from trial and sentencing into the post-conviction and possible appellate process.
Author note: Last updated August 20, 2026.