Wisconsin man on trial for murder; victim’s body never found

Listen to this article

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Opening statements began Monday in the trial of a Wisconsin man who is charged with killing his wife, who went missing in 2013 and whose body has never been found.

James Prokopovitz was charged in 2019 with murder and other counts for allegedly killing his wife, Victoria. He was the last person known to have to seen her on April 25, 2013, and investigators say she was reported missing, but her purse, cell phone and ID were all at her home in Pittsfield.

Assistant District Attorney Caleb Saunders told the jury it has been 2,854 days since Victoria Prokopovitz was last seen, and since then, James Prokopovitz and his girlfriend have repeatedly lied about what happened.

Defense attorney John D’Angelo said this is a missing persons case — and may be a suicide, given Victoria’s mental health history, WLUK-TV reported.

“The only person who knows what happened to Victoria is Victoria. The problem with mental health is you never know when it’s going to come on. You can have a good day and, just like that, it can change to a bad day,” he said.

Prokopovitz’s girlfriend, Kathryn Friday, was also charged in the case, but she died before she could be sentenced for lying during the investigation.

The trial could last up to two weeks.