Manitowoc homicide suspect sentenced to prison in 2020 stabbing death. Here's how long he'll serve.
Fulfilling our obligation: This report is part of the Herald Times Reporter's mission to follow criminal cases from arrest to their conclusion.
MANITOWOC - Craig W. Holtz, a 41-year-old New Holstein man, was sentenced to 25 years in state prison for stabbing a Manitowoc man to death in 2020.
Holtz will also serve 20 years under extended supervision after his 25 years of imprisonment are over.
Manitowoc Circuit Court Judge Jerilyn Dietz said Wednesday her intention was to keep Holtz under the state’s supervision for the rest of his life.
Holtz was arrested in August 2020 after an altercation led to him stabbing and killing a 32-year-old man outside a Manitowoc residence on Marshall Street.
According to the criminal complaint, Holtz fled the scene and returned to his apartment. Surveillance video footage showed him stopping along the way to throw something off the side of the 10th Street Bridge, which he later told police was the knife he used to stab the victim.
The police found Holtz at a residence on Atlanta Circle, where he was arrested without incident, according to the complaint.
Holtz was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. During a plea hearing March 28, that charge was amended to first-degree reckless homicide, to which Holtz gave a “guilty” plea.
OTHER NEWS: Why city of Manitowoc may be done paying to resurface Washington Street
During the sentencing on May 25, Holtz offered his apologies to the victim’s family.
“I will never be able to atone for what I’ve done to your family,” he said.
Manitowoc County District Attorney Jaclyn LaBre said investigations show three main things about Holtz.
“The defendant (Holtz) has extreme anger issues, he has extreme drug issues and he always has a knife,” she said.
Judge Dietz noted Holtz suffers from mental illness and grew up in a violent household.
“That doesn’t excuse your actions,” Dietz said. “This (25-year sentence) seems the best way to keep the community safe from you.”
Holtz will serve 20 years of extended supervision following his 25 years in state prison. Dietz told him to have no contact with the victim’s family and to have complete sobriety for the entirety of his extended supervision.
Contact Alisa Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisaMSchafer.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc homicide suspect sentenced to prison in stabbing
