Prosecutors say Thomas Zollicoffer killed three people at two homes on Aug. 8 before a police search ended with his arrest.

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Milwaukee man accused of killing his former girlfriend, her friend and another woman during two shootings less than half an hour apart has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million bail as the case moves toward a November trial. Thomas Zollicoffer, 36, faces three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon in the Aug. 8 deaths of Vanessa DeHerrera, 26, Scott Bucholz, 29, and Shamarla “Asir” Hare, 39.

The charges grew from an evening that investigators say began as a domestic dispute and ended with three people dead at two Milwaukee residences. According to the criminal complaint and testimony presented during later court proceedings, DeHerrera had been staying at an apartment near 21st and Pierce streets while trying to leave an on-again, off-again relationship with Zollicoffer. Prosecutors allege he confronted her there before gunfire erupted. Less than 30 minutes later, authorities say, Hare was shot at a residence near 39th Street and Townsend Avenue. Police initially treated the locations as separate crime scenes before publicly confirming that the deaths were connected and that investigators were looking for one known suspect.

Witness accounts described in the complaint place Zollicoffer at the Pierce Street apartment for hours before the first shooting. One woman told investigators that he arrived during the afternoon and argued with DeHerrera. At one point, according to the complaint, Zollicoffer gave DeHerrera a gun. She later returned it after he indicated that he was leaving, but witnesses said he remained at the apartment and continued drinking. A witness later told police that Zollicoffer pointed a handgun toward DeHerrera during another confrontation. The witness said he fired at her and then toward people seated nearby. Officers called to the apartment shortly before 10 p.m. found DeHerrera and Bucholz suffering from gunshot wounds. Both died at the scene. Investigators recovered six 9 mm cartridge casings, according to the complaint.

Bucholz had been at the apartment with DeHerrera, and relatives later told local news organizations that he had tried to help during the dispute. Other people inside the home survived. Several were hiding in a bedroom by the time officers arrived, according to accounts provided to investigators. Witnesses outside also described seeing a man leave the building and enter a white sedan that quickly drove away. Those observations became part of an investigation that soon expanded across the city. Police said the double homicide near Pierce Street was connected to a second fatal shooting around the same period that night, although the full sequence was not immediately clear to the public.

At the Townsend Avenue location, witnesses told investigators that a man later identified as Zollicoffer came to the residence and asked to speak with people inside. The complaint alleges that he approached Hare and pulled a gun during the encounter. Witnesses said he told her, “I can’t stand you anyways,” before shooting her. The complaint alleges that another shot followed as people in the home watched. Hare was taken to a hospital but died from her injuries. Police recovered two additional 9 mm casings there. Early statements from police did not explain why Hare had become involved in the events of that night, and later reporting has described the nature of any prior relationship between her and Zollicoffer as unclear. Prosecutors nevertheless allege that the shootings were part of the same sequence.

Investigators began searching for Zollicoffer as detectives interviewed witnesses and compared information from the two scenes. Milwaukee police announced that the killings were connected and said they knew the identity of the person they were seeking. On Aug. 11, officers surrounded a residence near 84th Street and Fiebrantz Avenue after receiving information that the wanted man was there. The encounter developed into a standoff involving tactical officers and crisis negotiators. Police eventually took Zollicoffer into custody. Authorities said two loaded firearms were recovered as he emerged, including a 9 mm Taurus pistol. The arrest ended a search that had lasted more than two days and allowed detectives to question him about the three deaths.

According to the complaint and later testimony, Zollicoffer gave investigators statements about all three shootings after being advised of his rights. Authorities say he told detectives that he had not gone to see DeHerrera with the intention of killing her but that he “lost it” during the encounter. Investigators also said he acknowledged shooting Bucholz and Hare. At an Aug. 24 preliminary hearing, Milwaukee police homicide Detective Brian Maciejewski testified that Zollicoffer initially said Bucholz had shot DeHerrera before changing his account and saying that he himself was responsible for shooting DeHerrera, Bucholz and Hare. A court commissioner found probable cause to continue the felony case and ordered Zollicoffer bound over for trial. His statements remain allegations and evidence to be tested through the court process.

The deaths left three families grieving people whose lives extended beyond the circumstances described in the complaint. DeHerrera’s relatives said she was the mother of two boys and had been trying to separate from Zollicoffer. Bucholz was described by relatives and friends as someone who was close to DeHerrera and had gone to help her. Hare’s family said she was a Navy veteran and a mother who had joined the military after high school. Her uncle told local reporters that she was deeply loved by her family. Relatives of all three victims later attended court proceedings, where emotions were visible as prosecutors began presenting the allegations that will form the basis of the homicide case.

The prosecution has also produced legal proceedings beyond the homicide allegations themselves. Two other people were separately charged in connection with what authorities say happened after the shootings. Prosecutors accused Sengchanh Phengphonsavanh of driving Zollicoffer from one location to another and charged him with harboring or aiding a felon. Elena Cole, described in court reporting as Zollicoffer’s cousin, was also accused of harboring him after the killings and faces child-neglect counts tied to allegations that Zollicoffer stayed at her home while her children were present. Those defendants have their own cases, and the allegations against them must be established separately in court.

Questions about Zollicoffer’s jail communications later became another issue in his case. Prosecutors alleged that after his arrest he used a jail-issued electronic device to communicate about a witness who had information about the Pierce Street killings. A court filing cited a message directing someone to tell a witness to “stop lying” and another statement prosecutors viewed as threatening. At an Aug. 28 bail hearing, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski restricted Zollicoffer’s access to electronic communications, phone calls and visits except for communication needed with his attorneys. The order concerned alleged attempts to influence witnesses and did not resolve the underlying homicide charges.

Zollicoffer has entered not-guilty pleas to the charges. On Sept. 8, Borowski denied a defense request for a different judge after finding that the request had not been filed in time. Court reporting said Zollicoffer remained jailed on $1 million bail and that his trial was set for November. A final pretrial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 8. The criminal complaint, witness testimony and Zollicoffer’s reported statements describe the prosecution’s case, but the homicide allegations have not been proven at trial.

Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.