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A Wisconsin family is reeling after a judge vacated the conviction of a man previously found guilty in the once-cold case of a mother killed in an execution-style shooting.
Miguel Cruz was sentenced to life in prison in 2021 stemming from the killing of Juanita Zdroik, 39, in Racine County in 2000.
The case began on Feb. 7, 2000, when the mother of three was hauled to a rural highway and shot execution-style after witnessing a double homicide in Milwaukee.
Authorities launched a desperate search for her killer, but the case ultimately ran cold until a suspect – identified as Cruz – was arrested in 2017.
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Juanita Zdroik poses for a photo with two of her children. (Zach Zdroik)
“One day I got a call while at work, and they said they caught my mother’s murderer,” Zach Zdroik, Juanita’s son who was 13 years old at the time of her death, told Fox News Digital.
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“I felt extreme relief that the man responsible for my mother’s murder, and ultimately for a lifetime of pain for my sister and I, is finally where he belongs,” Zdroik added. “It was very fulfilling for us.”
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Miguel Cruz was sentenced to life in prison in 2021 for the 2000 killing of Juanita Zdroik in Racine County, Wis. (Racine County Sheriff’s Office)
However, after filing an appeal surrounding the credibility of DNA and a broader investigation into the members of the sheriff’s office’s conduct, Cruz was granted a new trial earlier this week.
“It was obviously heartbreaking, knowing that we have to deal with this again,” Zdroik said. “We’ve been very understanding throughout this entire process that has been years with the county and the legal system, so the fact that we saw the system itself fail us as a family was pretty disheartening.”
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Despite Cruz ultimately winning his chance at appeal, the charges against him have not been dismissed – setting the stage for a second trial or, according to Zdroik, a potential plea deal.
Juanita Zdroik poses for a photo with her son, Zach. Zach was 13 years old when his mother was killed in Racine County, Wis., on Feb. 7, 2000. (Racine County Sheriff’s Office)
“Our voice doesn’t matter to the county or state at this point,” Zdroik told Fox News Digital. “Like, what are we doing here? A man that was proven to be there, multiple eyewitnesses saw him there and they testified against him, now that that is no good due to a corrupt history. But he’s gonna get off now and live a life that my mother wasn’t able to live. I mean, does that seem fair?”
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Zdroik added that officials have told him Cruz’s possible plea deal could result in a 10-year prison sentence, which holds the potential of Cruz being released after just six months behind bars.
Juanita Zdroik was murdered in an execution-style shooting after witnessing a double homicide in Racine County, Wis., on Feb. 7, 2000. (Courtesy of Zach Zdroik)
“Who knows what is possible, I mean, I know this murder took place years ago,” Zdroik said. “I don’t know if he’s done anything else in between now and then that he was arrested for, or even not arrested for, to get away with murder, so who knows.”
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However, no plea deal has been officially offered or agreed upon, according to Zdroik.
The ordeal has been especially taxing on Zdroik and his family, including his two sisters and children.
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“[My mom] was the one person in this world that I knew always loved me,” Zdroik told Fox News Digital. “I’ve never had that love ever in my life, and I don’t think I’ll ever have it again. My mother was my world.”
“We’ve all had to struggle,” Zdroik added. “And live our lives in darkness and sadness because of this.”
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office, Racine County District Attorney’s Office and Cruz’s attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.