July 2, 2026 12:30p
(WGTD)---The termination of a Kenosha County court commissioner in May was related to his decision not to issue a restraining order against a man who allegedly went on to kill his estranged wife.
A one-page letter to Bill Michel from Wynne Laufenberg, the chief judge in the state's 2nd Judicial District, indicated that a "majority" of Kenosha County's judge's had lost confidence in Michel's decision-making abilities. Court commissioners are hired by a county's judges.
Makayla Plaza had filed the restraining order request against her estranged husband, Marckus Plaza. She later withdrew the request because Plaza had threatened to take the couple's children, according to Makayla's boyfriend, Korey Williams.
Michel had honored her withdrawal request after noting that she had checked a box indicating that it was not the result of being pressured. But Makayla as in fact still fearful of what Plaza would do, Williams told WGTD News several days after the murder.
Williams said the restraining order episode was one example of authorities not doing enough to protect his girlfriend.
In her letter to Michel, Laufenberg noted that discussions had been held about Michel's handling of the case.
An apparent red flag was Michel's assertion that he did not have much training in "domestic violence dynamics" despite records indicating that he did receive domestic violence education, according to the letter obtained by WGTD News.
The restraining order case apparently was a last straw. Without going into specifics, the letter noted that an employee improvement plan had been drawn up for Michel to address some issues that were identified by Laufenberg and Deputy Chief Judge Chad Kerkman.
Plaza is awaiting trial on a charge of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide for the death of Makayla who was killed Apr.1 in her 22nd Ave. home. The murder occurred as the couple's two children were present.
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