Suspect in suitcase deaths due in Wisconsin court

Published 10:03 am Thursday, July 3, 2014

ELKHORN, Wis. — A former police officer suspected in the deaths of two women whose bodies were found in suitcases left along a rural Wisconsin highway is expected in court Thursday.

Fifty-two-year-old Steven Zelich, of West Allis, is charged with two counts of hiding a corpse in Walworth County, about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee.

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors generally summarize their evidence and allegations.

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It will be Zelich’s first court appearance. He made his initial appearance via video on Friday.

Walworth County officials have said they expect Zelich to eventually face homicide charges in the counties where the women were killed. Zelich told investigators one woman died in Rochester, Minnesota, and the other in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.