Milwaukee homicide, body kept in apartment for weeks: complaint

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors charged a man from Turkey with reckless homicide after his girlfriend was found stabbed to death in their apartment – weeks after she is believed to have been killed.

In Court:

Serkan Akcilad, 24, is charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide. His bond was set at $1 million during his initial court appearance on Wednesday, March 12.

WARNING: Details of this story may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.

Death investigation

The backstory:

According to a criminal complaint, Akcilad walked into the Milwaukee Police Administration Building on Feb. 27 and said his girlfriend was dead in their apartment near 10th and McKinley – and had been for 20 days. 

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Court filings said Akcilad, a Turkish national, used a translation app to communicate with police. An identification card for the 21-year-old victim confirmed she was also from Turkey. Akcilad's attorney said he is in the U.S. on verified asylum status.

Officers then went to the scene and found the victim's body, which had begun to decay, on the floor with a pillow under her head. The complaint states the body "appeared to have been staged," and the victim had 12 stab wounds. Detectives learned an "extensive amount" of blood had been cleaned up in the apartment in an area under what appeared to be a new rug.

Police scene near 10th and McKinley (Feb. 27)

Dig deeper:

An initial search of the apartment only located "extremely dull" butter knives and box cutters. Court filings said there were takeout food receipts dated from Feb. 14 through Feb. 21 in the trash, "indicating the apartment was being occupied during this time" after the victim's death. Throughout the apartment, investigators found clothing and other linens with apparent blood stains on them.

Investigators searched Akcilad's SUV. Inside, the complaint states they found a receipt from the night of Jan. 24 – the day the victim is believed to have been killed – for bleach, insect repellent and more. Surveillance from the store showed Akcilad putting bleach into a shopping cart and carrying the items out of the store. 

Court filings said investigators also found a letter from the property management company addressed to Akcilad, dated Jan. 8, informing him to pay past-due rent or vacate the apartment.

Police scene near 10th and McKinley (Feb. 27)

In custody

What they're saying:

The complaint states Akcilad told investigators he came home from work on Jan. 24 with cleaning supplies because he and his girlfriend were planning to go to Chicago for the weekend, and they have two hamsters that attract bugs, so he wanted to clean. He said he came home and found his girlfriend dead, and he initially thought she was playing a joke on him, but she was cold to the touch. He said he then "passed out" from shock. 

Further, Akcilad told detectives, per the complaint, that he attempted to take his life after his girlfriend's death. He was found to have a nail in his head that extended into his brain, and he was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery to remove the nail. Another receipt found during searches showed Akcilad purchased a nail gun on Jan. 25, though no nail gun was found in the apartment and Akcilad said he didn't know what happened to it.

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Asked about the absence of any sharp knives in the apartment, the complaint states Akcilad admitted they had some but did not know where they are or how they came to be missing. He repeatedly said he did not do anything to clean up the apartment and denied cleaning up any blood. He also said he did not attempt to clean any bloody clothes, though evidence of blood was found in the washing machine. 

Akcilad said he slept next to his girlfriend's body on the floor where he initially found her, according to court filings, and said he did not move her to the place law enforcement found her until the day or so before. 

Asked why he did not disclose his girlfriend's death, the complaint states Akcilad said he was concerned about "how things are done in America." But when asked how the matter would be handled in Turkey, he said he would be interviewed the same way. He said he disclosed her death because the property company was coming to check his apartment the next day and, had it not been for that, he would not have come forward.

Further, Akcilad admitted that he had been communicating with the victim's family in Turkey, pretending to be her to convince them that she was alive and in good health. He also denied killing her.

Editor's note (March 13, 2025): The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Silan Tut.