Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her home in 2008 by David Kahn, who was looking for money to fuel his drug addiction. | PxHere.com
Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her home in 2008 by David Kahn, who was looking for money to fuel his drug addiction. | PxHere.com
A local man has been given a mandatory life sentence by Dane County Circuit Judge Chris Taylor after pleading guilty to first-degree homicide in the 2008 killing of a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student found slain in her campus apartment.
Before entering his plea, David Kahl was set to go on trial early next year in the killing of Brittany Zimmermann, described by those who knew her as a sympathetic and generous person.
“The evidence has always been clear that she was a kindhearted person and was that day,” Kahl’s attorney Ben Gonring told Fox 6 Milwaukee.
Gonring said Kahl was going door-to-door in Zimmermann’s neighborhood trying to scam money as part of a flat tire scheme when he encountered her and entered her apartment. Authorities said when Kahl returned from the bathroom to find Zimmermann on the phone, he was paranoid she might calling the police and he lost control and violently attacked her.
High on crack cocaine at the time and desperate for money to buy more, authorities said Kahl stabbed Zimmermann at least 21 times and strangled her. He was finally brought to justice after the case languished for more than 14 years with no conviction.
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