Suspect in homicide at Janesville business pleads not guilty

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The 23-year-old suspect accused in the homicide of a co-worker in April at a Janesville business pleaded not guilty Monday, according to court records.

Kevin Todd is accused of one count of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of recklessly endangering safety. He waived his preliminary hearing and will be bound over for trial. A jury trial is expected to be set, court records indicate, but a start date was not scheduled yet.

The Janesville Police Department stated in April that Todd had only worked at Precision Drawn Metals Inc., located on the 1300 block of Plainfield Avenue, for seven days prior to allegedly shooting a coworker on April 26. Janesville police say Todd left the scene in a car and was arrested roughly five miles from the company.

A bulk of the five-page criminal complaint described Todd’s interview with a Janesville Police Dept. detective in which he allegedly admitted to killing the victim. Despite not knowing the name of the person he shot, the complaint alleges that Todd claimed to have several run-ins with the victim. These run-ins started on Todd’s second day on the job.

Two search warrants were obtained after the shooting, one for Todd’s home and one for his vehicle. According to police, investigators found handgun accessories and ammunition, while his vehicle contained:

6 firearms, including the suspected gun used in the shooting
Ammunition
A small amount of marijuana
Over $2,000 in cash

Lt. Mark Ratzlaff explained during a news conference the day after the shooting that the three recklessly endangering safety allegations stemmed from the bullets ricocheting and nearly hitting other people.

The Rock County Medical Examiner’s Department identified the victim on May 1 as 30-year-old Devon Hills. Preliminary results of a forensic autopsy confirmed that Hills’ death was the result of homicidal firearm-related trauma.