How much is a human life worth in the Kenosha County legal system?

Last week, a judge in Kenosha County answered that question with a number: $750,000.

Can you really put a figure on the life of a human being? Especially a beloved 28-year-old mother of three from Kenosha who was, according to prosecutors, butchered inside her own home while her two little boys, ages 5 and 2, watched in horror.

No amount of bail will bring back Makayla Rutka-Plaza. No amount of money will erase what police say Marckus Plaza did to her. No amount of cash will undo the fact that two young boys reportedly saw their mother stabbed to death, saw her covered in blood and then had to tell investigators what happened.

But $750,000 is still too low.

Judge Heather Iverson is new to the bench and still relatively new to handling serious criminal matters. She deserves grace and patience as she settles into the role. But it is still important to acknowledge exactly what happened here and exactly what message this bail amount sends.

According to the criminal complaint, Makayla Rutka-Plaza was stabbed repeatedly, struck with a blunt object and left in the basement with a knife lodged in her eye area. Her two young sons, ages 5 and 2, reportedly witnessed part of the killing. One child told investigators, “Momma got dead.” Another said, “Daddy use a knife.”

And for that, the bail was set at $750,000.

Will Plaza get out? Probably not. But “probably not” is not the same as impossible.

Remember Chrystul Kizer? Her bail was set at $400,000 after she was accused of killing a man. Liberal activist groups rallied behind her, raised the money and she walked out of jail. Is that likely to happen here? No. But it is not outside the realm of possibility.

That is why bail matters.

For years, judges and defense lawyers argued that bail should be about one thing only: making sure somebody comes back to court. Wisconsin voters rejected that idea.

In 2023, Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment allowing judges to consider much more than just appearance in court when setting bail. Judges can now look at the seriousness of the offense, the defendant’s prior record, the strength of the evidence, whether the person poses a danger to the public and whether release conditions are needed to protect the community from serious harm.

If there was ever a case that called for a massive bail amount under those new rules, this is it.

The evidence appears extraordinarily strong. Police say there were eyewitnesses. There was a dead body inside the home. There was reportedly blood everywhere. Plaza fled and led police on a nearly 30-hour manhunt. When police found him hiding in the basement of a salon building, four high-ranking officers had to physically wrestle him into custody. Two officers suffered minor injuries during the arrest.

How do you put a number on that?

If I were setting bail, I would have had no trouble arriving at $3 million immediately: $1 million for Makayla Rutka-Plaza, $1 million for each of the two boys who reportedly witnessed their mother’s killing.

Maybe it should be $5 million. Add another million dollars for the two officers who risked their safety to make sure those boys were okay.

Maybe it should be $9 million. Add another four million for the officers who entered that basement at the salon, knowing they were searching for a man accused of murder and knowing he could still be armed.

Maybe it should be $100 million.

I do not know the exact value of a human life. Nobody does.

But I know this: the answer is not $750,000.

Wisconsin law itself puts a dollar figure on human life in civil court. In most wrongful death cases involving an adult, damages for loss of society and companionship are capped at $350,000. For a child, the cap is $500,000. Those caps do not include funeral costs, lost wages or other economic damages, but they still show that Wisconsin lawmakers have already attempted to place a value on human life and grief.

Tomorrow, Court Commissioner William “Bargain Bail Billy” Michel II will likely be tasked with setting a permanent cash bail in this case.

That should concern everyone.

Kenosha’s judges, collectively, have long been too lenient on bail. They continue to allow Michel to set dozens of bails every day, many of which leave victims and families wondering whether the system understands the danger certain people pose.

There are evil people among us.

There are people who cannot be trusted to walk freely among the public.

And when somebody is accused of murdering the mother of his children, leaving her dead in a basement with a knife in her eye area and traumatizing two young boys forever, the number should never start with a seven.

For murder, judges in Kenosha County should not even consider anything less than $1 million.

As Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, it is worth remembering what the holiday actually represents. Easter is the story of a God who loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to die for mankind’s sins. It is the ultimate reminder that every human life has immeasurable value. Trillions or quadrillions of dollars could never come close to paying the price for sin, but Christians believe Jesus paid that price in full.

Makayla Rutka-Plaza’s life had immeasurable value too. She was a mother, daughter, sister, stepdaughter and friend.

And if $750,000 is all the system says her life was worth, then the system is badly broken.