KENOSHA, Wis. — A Kenosha County jury found Justin Tercek guilty Tuesday on all four counts in the killing of Andrew Pfannkuche and Pfannkuche’s dog, Jake, bringing an end to a trial that at times became contentious, emotional, and unusual.

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Jurors began deliberating at about 3:45 p.m. Monday and continued until 5 p.m. They resumed deliberations Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. and reached their verdict at about 11:45 a.m.

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Tercek was found guilty of criminal damage to property, burglary while a person was present, first-degree intentional homicide with use of a dangerous weapon, and mistreatment of an animal causing death with use of a dangerous weapon.

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On the burglary count, jurors also answered “yes” to a special question about a person being present inside the home. On the homicide count, jurors found that Tercek used a dangerous weapon. On the animal mistreatment count, jurors found Jake’s death was caused and that a dangerous weapon was used.

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The defense asked to have the jury polled after the verdict was read. Judge Jodi Meier then went through all four verdicts with each of the 12 jurors — seven women and five men — individually asking whether the verdicts announced in court were their true verdicts. Each juror answered yes to all four counts, meaning the word “yes” was spoken 48 separate times in open court.

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Family members, friends, and even a realtor who testified during the trial hugged and cried after the verdict was read.

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Andrew Pfannkuche’s brother, Jeff Pfannkuche, told Kenosha County Eye he felt overwhelmed with emotion after hearing the verdicts. Jeff Pfannkuche, a retired Cook County prosecutor with roughly 30 years of experience, said he was relieved and grateful the jury held Tercek accountable. He said he wants there to be no possibility of parole and reflected on his brother as someone who loved fixing things, tinkering with lawnmowers, working with tools, and building projects.

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Jeff Pfannkuche was also highly critical of Meier’s handling of the case. He previously told Kenosha County Eye that if some of the conduct he observed had happened in Cook County, “the judge would have been fired by 5 o’clock.”

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District Attorney Xavier Solis said he was pleased with the verdict and grateful for the work of the jurors.

“Andy and Jake received justice today,” Solis said.

Lead detectives Kyle Morrissey and Vincent Correa were both in the courtroom for the verdict. Afterward, they shook hands with members of Pfannkuche’s family at the family’s request.

The defense moved for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, while Solis asked the court to enter judgment on the verdict. Meier granted the State’s request and entered judgment on the verdicts.

After the verdicts were read, Meier instructed jurors to respect the privacy of one another and to avoid exposing fellow jurors to fear, anger, or unwanted attention if they chose to speak publicly about deliberations. She also told jurors they should be careful about discussing what other jurors said during deliberations.

Kenosha County Eye has never seen a judge make comments like that to a jury after a verdict, and multiple longtime courthouse observers said they had never seen it either. Jurors have the right to speak publicly if they choose. Some people in the courtroom believed the comments were aimed at discouraging jurors from speaking to the media, including Kenosha County Eye, following recent criticism of Meier’s handling of the trial and coverage of a judicial complaint involving her.

The trial had a rocky beginning and included repeated arguments over evidence, police records, and procedure. Early in the trial, Meier ordered criminal-history material and NCIC-related information to be turned over to the defense, prompting concerns from prosecutors and law enforcement about confidential information and federal restrictions on dissemination of that material.

At one point, Kenosha Police Chief Patrick Patton and Deputy Chief Brent Sagedal were called into chambers because of the dispute over police records and criminal-history information. The issue consumed a large portion of the early days of the trial.

The trial also became contentious because of repeated mistrial requests by the defense, arguments over legal interns being present at counsel table, and personal tension between the defense team and Solis.

To many courtroom observers, Meier appeared to want not-guilty verdicts and appeared not to understand some of the legal issues being argued in the courtroom. Those were criticisms voiced by people inside the courtroom throughout the proceedings.

Andrew Pfannkuche’s family has previously told Kenosha County Eye they were disgusted by what they viewed as bizarre and insensitive behavior from Meier during the trial. Family members said Meier at times played courtroom games, handed out candy, and even tried to get people to participate in Jeopardy-style exchanges during a homicide trial involving Andrew Pfannkuche and Jake.

Family members told Kenosha County Eye they felt the atmosphere in the courtroom often did not match the seriousness of what happened to Andrew Pfannkuche and Jake. They said they believed Meier was more interested in keeping things light than recognizing the pain Andrew Pfannkuche’s loved ones were carrying every day.

According to prosecutors, Andrew Pfannkuche had only recently moved into the home after purchasing it from the family of Justin Tercek’s grandmother. In the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 2025, Pfannkuche reported waking up to find a man inside his kitchen who told him, “This is my grandma’s house. What are you doing here?” Pfannkuche later identified Tercek as the intruder.

Later that day, Pfannkuche found the back door of his home had been smashed in. Prosecutors said Tercek returned to the home, fatally stabbed Pfannkuche about 25 times, and killed Jake. Investigators said Tercek was later found with blood on his hands and clothing, injuries consistent with dog bites, and shoes matching bloody prints found inside the house. A bloody knife was also recovered from the basement.

Local blogger David Kollath, who also goes by David Cole, was also in the courtroom for the verdict but left shortly afterward. Kollath had previously reported that District Attorney Xavier Solis could face sanctions during the trial. However, there was no mention of sanctions at the conclusion of the case, and no sanctions were issued against Solis.

Pfannkuche was 52 years old. Jake was repeatedly mentioned throughout the trial as Pfannkuche’s beloved dog.

Tercek is scheduled to be sentenced July 17, 2026, at 1 p.m.