Lillian Buchta, 75, was killed on January 11, 1988, during a violent home invasion and burglary of the Buchta residence in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Online court records place the attack sometime between about 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. That day the house had been ransacked; Lillian was strangled to death while her husband, Louis, was beaten to death and found in the basement with his wallet missing.

Investigators linked the Buchta killings to a series of attacks on older residents in and around Milwaukee County in late 1987 and early 1988. Those cases shared burglary, ransacked bedrooms, missing money or property, and victims assaulted inside their homes. Notably, there was no evidence of forced entry at several scenes and records note unlocked doors at the Buchta and Holman residences.

Robert J. Wirth was arrested and later convicted in connection with the Buchta murders and other violent crimes in the series. Witnesses placed him near the Buchta and Holman homes, and forensic comparisons tied his blood to evidence from at least one other crime scene. Wirth was tried in Milwaukee County and convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder and burglary; the conviction was affirmed on appeal.

Did anyone in the Milwaukee area remember seeing a suspicious person or car near their home in January 1988?