Wisconsin man accused of attacking Will County in-laws during time off from jail

A Wisconsin judge gave the man accused of repeatedly stabbing his Will County in-laws time to report to jail after he was sentenced in a domestic abuse case the day before the attack.

Will County investigators have been told that Michael Y. Liu also had been taken off of ankle monitoring after his Nov. 30 sentencing in Wisconsin.

Liu, 36, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin was sentenced to four months in jail in a Waukesha County case and given until Dec. 2 to report to jail, court records show.

On Dec. 1, Will County Sheriff’s police arrested Liu in an early morning incident in which a man and woman were found in their Crete Township home bleeding profusely from multiple injuries, police said. Liu himself was stabbed 17 times by his father-in-law, who was defending himself and his wife and took the knife away from Liu during the attack, police said.

On the day before, Liu had pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of domestic abuse involving battery, criminal damage to property, and making contact after a domestic abuse arrest.

The case has political ramifications in Wisconsin, where WTMJ-TV initially reported that Liu was involved in the Will County incident after being given time to report to jail by Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow, a candidate for the state’s supreme court.

Dorow’s legal clerk referred questions about the sentencing to the judge’s campaign manager, who did not return a call for comment from The Herald-News.

Will County Sheriff’s, in their initial reporting of the incident, noted that the attack occurred while Liu was scheduled to report to jail on domestic charges.

Will County Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said Liu also may have been on ankle monitoring when he was sentenced.

“From what we were told, he was under ankle monitoring,” Jungles said. “At the time (of sentencing), the judge removed the ankle monitoring and gave him two days to report and get his affairs in order.”

Jungles said it’s not unusual for judges to give offenders time to report to jail at the time of sentencing depending on circumstances. At times, the offenders get involved in other crimes before their due dates in jail, he said.

“That definitely does happen,” Jungles said. “I’m sure it happens all across the country.”

In one incident in recent years, a Will County juvenile was involved in a shooting during time allowed free before going to jail, he said.

“Whether or not they’re out on bond or they’re out on a judge’s order, they might have the potential to commit another crime,” Jungles said.

Liu is now being held without bond in Will County on charges that include attempted murder.