John Bacher Obituary, Death; – A man from West Allis is charged with deliberately running over his roommate with a pickup truck, resulting in his death, on Milwaukee’s south side earlier this month.
Prosecutors have charged 54-year-old Chad Martinez with first-degree intentional homicide. Court documents indicate that he is currently being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on a bond of $250,000.
As per a criminal complaint, first responders discovered the victim – identified as 50-year-old John Bacher – with “significant injuries” in the street at approximately 5:15 p.m. on August 10. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital.
An autopsy revealed that Bacher sustained multiple blunt force injuries, including a fractured spine.
Court documents state that a witness informed the police he observed a beige Ford F-150 pickup truck with dealer plates strike Bacher and then flee the scene. The witness noted that he had seen the same truck and its driver at a nearby car dealership prior to the incident and mentioned that the vehicle “caught his eye because he was interested in purchasing one.”
Surveillance footage captured Bacher walking on Muskego Avenue towards Burnham Street when the truck passed him, according to the complaint. The truck subsequently executed a U-turn at 21st Street and maneuvered through a parking lane – circumventing all other vehicles halted at an intersection – and drove “directly towards Bacher.” The video also depicted the truck running over Bacher and dragging his body for over 100 feet.
Martinez is currently in custody.
Delve deeper:
Officers proceeded to the car dealership linked to the truck’s plates and discovered the vehicle parked and still running in the parking lot. Court documents indicated that a man matching the witness’ description of the driver, identified as Martinez, was found in the driver’s seat with his head “slumped back, eyes closed.”
Officers roused Martinez and turned off the truck. The complaint noted that Martinez exhibited “a strong odor of alcohol and an odor of urine emanating from his person” as he stumbled out of the vehicle. Officers performed field sobriety tests, and a preliminary breath test indicated a reading of 0.215 BrAC – more than twice the legal limit.
