Charges Filed In 2008 Killing Of UW-Madison Student

A 53-year-old man has been charged in the 2008 killing of a University of Wisconsin-Madison student who was found strangled and stabbed in her downtown apartment.

Madison police said Friday that David Kahl was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Dane County Circuit Court, 12 years after 21-year-old Brittany Zimmermann was killed.

Kahl is in custody on unrelated charges and doesn’t have a lawyer yet in the murder case.

Zimmermann was studying medical microbiology and immunology when she was killed. At the time, police said she had just returned home from classes when someone followed her into her apartment.

WKOW-TV in Madison published a statement from Zimmermann’s parents:

It is with mixed emotions that we write this statement today. First and foremost, we are grateful to the Madison Police Department and the Dane County District Attorney’s Office for not giving up on this investigation. It has been almost 12 years since we lost our beautiful daughter, Brittany, and we could not have gone through this without the love and support of our family and friends. To all of them, we are eternally grateful. Having charges filed is just the beginning of justice for Brittany, which is what we have wanted from the start of this horrible tragedy. Nothing will bring our beautiful daughter back and we continue to feel that pain every day. Therefore, while we have appreciated all the community support throughout the past 12 years, we are respectfully asking for privacy during this difficult time. Thank you.