A Wisconsin woman will face homicide charges at trial in Houghton County in November. Yesterday, Houghton County Prosecutor Dan Helmer met with the defendant Margarat Kempainen and her attorney Antonio Ruiz in the 12th Circuit Court before Judge Brittany Bulleit for a final pretrial hearing.
The court will reconvene in late October for a hearing ahead of trial for motion filed for discovery by Ruiz. The court expects to call 100 residents as jurors for the six-day trial. The case will begin on November 17th in the Houghton County 12th Circuit Court.
Kemppainen was arrested in December 2023 alongside her son Jacob Kempainen, in connection to murder of Alvin Kempainen of Hancock township. The pair were arrested in Iowa after a multi-state search over two days. Jacob’s trial is expected to start in January 2026. A final pretrial hearing for Jacob Kempainen is set for December 2025.
Margerat Kempainen faces charges of homicide, open murder, a life-sentence in Michigan. Jacob Kempainen faces charges for felony firearm and homicide.
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