Milwaukee-area motel killing leads to homicide charge and life sentence in Franklin case
Woman found dead at motel; homicide case moved quickly from arrest to sentencing
A homicide investigation that began at a Franklin motel in early 2024 resulted in a first-degree intentional homicide case against Orlando Luis Pacheco and, later, a life prison sentence, court filings and published case summaries show.
Franklin police were called to the Modern 41 Motel on South 27th Street before 5 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2024, after a report that a woman had been found on the floor in a room. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members later identified the woman as 41-year-old Michele Fisher.
What investigators said they found
Investigative accounts in the criminal complaint described Fisher as having her hands tied behind her back and a belt around her neck. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled Fisher’s death a homicide caused by strangulation.
Investigators also described digital evidence recovered after Pacheco’s arrest. Authorities said Pacheco had two cellphones and that at least one device contained video recordings allegedly made inside the motel room. The complaint described footage of an assault and statements indicating strangulation.
Arrest and additional allegations
Pacheco was arrested several days after Fisher was found dead, following an investigation that included interviews and phone-record checks referenced in court documents. Case accounts also describe an additional woman who was with Pacheco at the time of his arrest and who alleged she had been assaulted and choked with a belt; those allegations led to separate charges at the time.
In subsequent court proceedings, prosecutors indicated an intent to proceed primarily on the homicide prosecution connected to Fisher’s death.
Court outcome
Pacheco ultimately resolved the case by entering a no-contest plea to one count of first-degree intentional homicide. Other charges filed in the case were dismissed and read in for sentencing purposes. On Nov. 22, 2024, a Milwaukee County judge sentenced Pacheco to life in prison.
Key verified points in the case
Michele Fisher, 41, was found dead in a room at the Modern 41 Motel in Franklin on Jan. 5, 2024.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by strangulation.
Orlando Luis Pacheco was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and later entered a no-contest plea to that count.
On Nov. 22, 2024, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Criminal cases remain subject to procedural timelines and evidentiary rules; a no-contest plea results in a conviction without an admission of guilt in open court, but carries the same legal effect for sentencing.