WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Monday shooting that killed an 18-year-old man was allegedly over the theft of a pair of exotic animals, according to prosecutors.
Three people have been charged in connection with a murder in Waupaca, which was retaliation for the theft of a lizard & crocodile – and apparently included the victim’s mother pointing a gun at her son just prior to his murder.
All three suspects made their initial court appearances Wednesday.
William Zelenski, 44, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Waupaca County Judge Ramond Huber ordered Zelenski held without bond. A balance of initial appearance is scheduled for Oct. 27.
Tiffany Powell, 34, is charged with being party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and possession of a firearm by a felon. She is currently in jail on a probation hold, but the judge also set a $500,000 cash bond. She returns to court Oct. 27 for a balance of initial appearance.
Ashton Tody, 17, is charged with burglary, theft, and three other charges. He will be released on a signature bond, and returns to court Nov. 17 for a balance of initial appearance.
Twice Tody spoke out before being admonished by the judge not to talk before consulting with his attorney. As court started, he stated “I did what I did because I thought my best friend was dying in that house.” Later, Tody apologized for damage caused to a home.
According to the criminal complaint, the unnamed victim and Tody stole “two handguns, alcohol and several reptiles including a lizard valued at $17,000, a crocodile valued at $2,000, a red tail boa constrictor valued at $575 and a baby Burmese python valued at $7,000” from Zelenski.
The complaint states Zelenski discovered the theft suspects’ identities, and sought them out. He found one of them, and stopped to confront him. The eventual victim took off his shirt and challenged Zelenski to a fight. Zelenski, who had a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun, handed the weapon to Powell, who then held the gun and pointed it at her son. Zelenski allegedly took the gun back from Powell, and then shot and killed her son.
Zelenski then called 9-1-1 to report the shooting. “He stated to the 911 operator “he had confronted VICTIM, VICTIM had attacked him and he had shot VICTIM,” “ the complaint states.
The victim, 18, is not identified in the complaint.
Zelenski, 44, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Powell, 34, is charged with being party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Tody, 17, is charged with burglary, theft, and three other charges. All three are expected to make court appearances Wednesday afternoon.
According to the complaint, the animals stolen on Oct. 15 from Zelenski’s home in Dayton included: an Alvarez Mexican Bearded Lizards/Heloderma Horridum Alvarezi , a two-foot Nile Crocodile, a Red Tail Boa Constrictor, a Baby Burmese Python, and other items worth a total of $27,800.
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