Share and Follow
Background: News footage of the home in Green Bay, Wis., where Tonia Piontek allegedly stabbed her fiance on April 13, 2025 (WBAY). Inset: Tonia Piontek (Brown County Sheriff”s Office).
A Wisconsin woman appeared in court this week as her legal journey continues over charges related to the fatal stabbing of her fiancé last year.
Tonia Piontek, aged 46, faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, with additional allegations of domestic violence and use of a deadly weapon, following the death of her 41-year-old fiancé in April 2025. The victim’s identity remains undisclosed to the public. During a court session in Brown County, Wisconsin, on Thursday, local Fox affiliate WLUK revealed that Piontek’s defense lawyer is negotiating a plea agreement but is awaiting an evaluation from a domestic violence expert.
As reported in a criminal complaint accessed by local ABC affiliate WBAY, Piontek claimed that she acted in self-defense, using a knife during the altercation.
Further insights into the complaint, shared by local CBS affiliate WFRV, indicate that Piontek was the one who called 911 at 10 p.m. on April 13, 2025. During the emergency call, she reportedly stated, “I just stabbed my boyfriend, I don’t think he’s okay. Someone needs to get here now!”
In the call, Piontek described a fight with her fiancé, saying, “He came at me,” and explained that she often kept a knife nearby for protection. She added, “I didn’t know what else to do, he’s a lot bigger than me.”
Piontek told dispatchers that she and her fiance had been drinking that day when they started arguing before the alleged stabbing. Police said Piontek’s neighbor heard the fight, as well as a door slamming, and someone stomping around the home. The same neighbor told police that he often heard the couple arguing and had called 911 on them before.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Piontek, who rolled up her sleeves to show them bruising on her forearms. She described the bruises as “just normal for me.” According to the complaint, Piontek told police that she had friends who were lawyers and would not make any comments until she had an attorney.
Police said they found Piontek’s fiance on the floor of the home’s kitchen with a knife in his neck and lying in a pool of blood. While the complaint said the knife was found in the man’s neck, the autopsy stated that he died of a stab wound to the chest. Piontek allegedly told police that she used a “pastry chef knife” in the stabbing.
Throughout her court proceedings, Piontek’s defense attorney argued that his client was a victim of domestic violence. At a previous hearing in December 2025, the attorney said he wanted to provide testimony from a domestic violence expert before a plea agreement was reached.
Piontek is charged with first-degree intentional homicide with modifiers for domestic violence and use of a deadly weapon. She is still in custody at the Brown County Jail, where she is being held on $1 million cash bond. Her next court appearance was scheduled for Aug. 17.