(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
Corrected on April 7 at 4:25 p.m. to reflect that Christina Torchia received the maximum sentence allowed by law for solicitation of murder.
KENOSHA, Wis. — The 2022 death of 6-year-old Layla Stahl is now officially being treated as a homicide, nearly four years after the child was found dead inside her bedroom in the 600 block of 15th Place.
(Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that investigators reopened the case earlier this year and developed new information that led authorities to seek a court order changing Layla’s manner of death from undetermined to homicide.
Layla was found dead on April 20, 2022, after deputies and detectives responded to a report of an unresponsive child. At the time, authorities said there were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play, and the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office, with help from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, ruled the cause and manner of death undetermined.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, detectives re-interviewed witnesses, reviewed evidence and conducted a lengthy interview with Layla’s mother, Christina L. Torchia, 33, of Kenosha, on March 12. Investigators said they found numerous inconsistencies in Torchia’s statements that were contradicted by evidence.
Authorities then consulted with the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office and Medical Examiner Patrice Hall before asking a judge to formally amend the manner of death to homicide.
Despite the Sheriff’s Office stating that Torchia has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, online court records did not yet reflect any homicide charge as of Tuesday afternoon.
Torchia is currently serving the maximum sentence allowed by law in a separate murder-for-hire case. In that case, she pleaded guilty to soliciting the murder of another person and was sentenced by Judge Heather Iverson on March 30 to 7.5 years in prison followed by four years of extended supervision.
In that case, prosecutors alleged Torchia became enraged after a man she had been involved with ended their relationship. Authorities said she secretly placed a GPS tracking device on his truck, monitored his movements from her phone and repeatedly told multiple people that she wanted him dead. According to the criminal complaint, Torchia allegedly said she did not care how it was done and told one person, “I want him gone, I want him killed.” Investigators also alleged she offered the man’s motorcycle and property as payment and discussed making the killing look like a robbery gone bad.
That case stemmed from allegations that Torchia stalked another person, secretly placed a GPS tracking device on a vehicle and solicited someone to commit murder. She originally faced a solicitation charge tied to first-degree intentional homicide and received the maximum prison sentence allowed for that offense.
William Michel II set a $50,000 cash bail when that case was first filed in July 2024.
Sheriff David Zoerner said investigators never stopped working the case and remained committed to finding answers in Layla’s death.
Layla deserved better. Now, after years of unanswered questions, investigators say they are closer to uncovering the truth behind her death.
Corrected on April 7 at 4:25 p.m. to reflect that Christina Torchia received the maximum sentence allowed by law for solicitation of murder.
