Tonia Piontek remains jailed on a $1 million cash bond after her fiancé was fatally stabbed at their Smith Street home.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A Green Bay woman charged with killing her fiancé in their home last year remained in custody as lawyers weighed a possible plea deal and waited for a domestic violence expert’s report.

Tonia Piontek, 46, is charged in Brown County with first-degree intentional homicide in the April 13, 2025, stabbing death of a 41-year-old man whom authorities have not publicly identified. The case now turns on two tracks: plea negotiations and trial preparation. Defense attorney Bradley Schraven has said he needs to review a plea offer with Piontek, while the defense waits for a report from an expert expected to address domestic violence claims.

The criminal case began late on a Sunday night, when police were called to a home on Smith Street on Green Bay’s east side. According to the complaint summarized in local reports, Piontek called 911 around 10 p.m. and told a dispatcher, “I just stabbed my boyfriend, I don’t think he’s okay. Someone needs to get here now.” Police said she described a fight inside the home and said the man had come toward her. She also told the dispatcher they had both been drinking that day before the argument turned deadly.

The 911 call became a central piece of the case because it included Piontek’s own account before officers entered the house. She told the dispatcher she often kept a knife nearby to protect herself and said she did not know what else to do because the man was much larger than she was. Investigators said she later described the weapon as a “pastry chef knife.” The autopsy found the man died from a stab wound to the chest, and local reports said the blade measured 7.87 inches. Police also reported finding the man in the kitchen area, where the complaint said a knife was lodged in his neck when officers arrived.

The charge carries high stakes because first-degree intentional homicide is Wisconsin’s most serious homicide count. Prosecutors also added modifiers tied to domestic abuse and use of a dangerous weapon. At an early court appearance, a judge set Piontek’s cash bond at $1 million. Court restrictions reported after that appearance barred her from bars, taverns and liquor stores. She was taken into custody at the scene and has remained at the Brown County Jail while the case has moved through hearings over the past year.

The defense has pointed to domestic violence as a major issue in the case. At a December 2025 hearing, Piontek’s attorney said he wanted testimony or analysis from a domestic violence expert before any plea agreement was reached. That report was still unfinished when plea talks continued in April 2026. The position leaves the case in a holding pattern: prosecutors have kept the homicide charge in place, while the defense continues to build a record that could shape plea terms, trial strategy or arguments about why the stabbing happened.

Police records also describe a home where neighbors had heard conflict before. One neighbor told investigators he heard arguing for about an hour and a half before the stabbing. The same neighbor reported hearing a door slam and someone stomping around inside the home. He also told police that he had heard the couple argue often and had called 911 on them before. Those details may become important because both sides could point to the history of conflict in different ways. Prosecutors may use it to show an escalating domestic dispute, while the defense may use it to support claims about fear inside the relationship.

Piontek’s conduct after officers arrived is also part of the record. Police said she rolled up her sleeves and showed bruising on her forearms, describing the marks as “just normal for me.” According to the complaint, she then told police she had friends who were lawyers and would not make more comments until she had an attorney. That moment could matter if the case goes to trial, because jurors may hear both her emergency call and her decision to stop speaking after officers reached the scene.

The victim has not been publicly named in the complaint or in police releases cited in local reports. Green Bay police identified him only as a 41-year-old Green Bay man. That limited public identification has kept much of the focus on the court file, the 911 call and the statements attributed to Piontek and witnesses. It also leaves unanswered questions about the couple’s full history, whether prior police calls produced reports, and what those records may show about the relationship before April 13.

Piontek pleaded not guilty in July 2025. A status conference in October led to a December plea date, but the case did not resolve then. By April 2026, the plea discussions were still active, and Judge Marc Hammer set another hearing for Aug. 17. No trial date had been set. The next hearing is expected to show whether the defense expert’s report changes the direction of the case or whether prosecutors and the defense continue toward trial.

For now, Piontek remains jailed on the $1 million cash bond as the homicide charge stands. The next scheduled court date is Aug. 17, when Brown County Circuit Court is expected to revisit plea negotiations and the remaining pretrial issues.

Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.