Lukas John Rosch died April 24 after prosecutors said his girlfriend stabbed him during a fight at her Lac La Belle apartment.
LAC LA BELLE, Wis. — The family of Lukas John Rosch is mourning the 25-year-old Waukesha man after prosecutors said his girlfriend stabbed him to death during an argument over dinner plans.
Rosch’s relatives called his death tragic and senseless after police said he was stabbed Friday, April 24, at an apartment on Wisconsin Avenue in the Village of Lac La Belle. His girlfriend, Mikayla R. Kloth, 27, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and is being held on $2 million cash bond. The complaint says Rosch had arrived with chicken to cook in an air fryer, while Kloth wanted to go out. The disagreement ended with Rosch wounded in the chest and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Family members described Rosch in terms far removed from the short, stark language of a criminal complaint. In a statement to local news outlets, they said they were “completely broken” by the loss of their son and called him “the most loving, giving, kind-hearted person anyone could ever meet.” His obituary says Lukas John Rosch was born Jan. 30, 2001, in Waukesha. He was the son of Matthew and Stephanie Rosch and had sisters, nieces, grandparents, other relatives, friends and a dog named Woodruff. The family asked for privacy while processing his death.
The police account begins shortly before 7 p.m., when officers were sent to Kloth’s apartment. Responding officers found Rosch on the floor with a stab wound to his chest. Kloth was still inside the apartment, according to the complaint. Police said she told an officer she had stabbed Rosch because she was angry. Emergency responders took Rosch to a hospital, but he did not survive. Authorities have not released a complete timeline of the medical response, but local reports said he died less than an hour after the 911 call.
Investigators said the couple had been together for about three years, and Rosch frequently visited Kloth’s apartment in the Okauchee area. On the night he died, Rosch had planned to make dinner at the apartment. He brought chicken drumsticks and seasoning, according to the complaint, and intended to use an air fryer. Kloth told police she wanted him to take her out instead. Prosecutors said the argument escalated until a knife became part of the confrontation. Kloth allegedly claimed Rosch had held the knife and grabbed it by the blade, but police said she admitted stabbing him in the chest.
The family’s grief was part of the first court hearing Monday, where Rosch’s father asked the court not to let Kloth back into the community. The hearing was held before Court Commissioner David Herring in Waukesha County. Herring set Kloth’s cash bond at $2 million after reviewing the allegations. The appearance was not a trial, and Kloth has not been convicted. It marked the start of the public court process in a case that now includes police statements, witness accounts, an expected medical record and the family’s plea for accountability.
The complaint also points to fears Rosch allegedly voiced days before his death. About a week earlier, Rosch told another woman and his landlord that Kloth had bitten him on the thumb during an argument, investigators said. The landlord told police Rosch appeared afraid of Kloth. According to the complaint, Rosch asked the woman to take his full name in case something happened to him. Prosecutors have not said whether that earlier episode was reported to police before the stabbing. It remains one of the details investigators included to describe the relationship before the fatal night.
Kloth’s alleged comments after the stabbing are likely to become a central part of the case. Police said she admitted stabbing Rosch at the scene and made more statements while being transported. The complaint says she spoke about going to jail and about how Rosch’s parents would view her after his death. Prosecutors have not released the full recordings of those statements, and it is not yet clear which officers or recordings will be presented at the preliminary hearing. The defense may seek to challenge how the statements were gathered or how they are described.
First-degree intentional homicide is punishable by life in prison in Wisconsin. Before the case can move toward trial, prosecutors must show probable cause at a preliminary hearing set for May 29. That hearing may include testimony about the 911 call, the condition of the apartment, the knife, the medical findings and the statements from Kloth and other witnesses. The judge will not decide final guilt at that stage. The hearing will decide whether the evidence is enough for the charge to continue.
Rosch’s family is now preparing to remember his life while prosecutors prepare for the next court date. Kloth remains jailed on $2 million cash bond, and the homicide case is scheduled to return to court May 29.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.