Illinois – A tragic case of domestic violence has shocked a small town in Illinois after 27-year-old Emmet Metzger pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing his ex-girlfriend, Alexis Maki, aged 24. The heartbreaking incident happened in November 2023 at the apartment they still shared in New Baden, even after breaking up.
Jealousy and Control Turned Deadly
According to Alexis Maki’s mother, Lisa Brock, Metzger became controlling and very jealous after their breakup. He was angry that Alexis had started spending time with others and not focusing only on him. Brock said, “He was making her life miserable.”
Even though they had ended their relationship a month before the shooting, they were still living under the same lease. Metzger reportedly invited Alexis over to the apartment on Hanover Street, asking her to bring their shared dog so he could see it “one last time.”
Brock recalled warning her daughter not to go. “I said, ‘I don’t feel good about this,’ and she said, ‘Neither do I,’” she remembered. But Alexis trusted Metzger when he said he wouldn’t harm her.
911 Call Confession After the Crime
On the day of the murder, Metzger shot Alexis multiple times—in the neck, chest, shoulder, and hip—using a 9 mm Taurus G2C pistol. After the shooting, he called 911 himself and made a chilling confession.
“I messed up. I did something so bad. I shot my girlfriend. I need to be arrested, please,” he told the emergency dispatcher, as reported by local news outlets KMOV and the Belleville News-Democrat.
Previous Violent Behaviour
Just hours before the shooting, Metzger had reportedly assaulted one of Maki’s co-workers, Giovanni Venuti, outside a bar in Lebanon. Venuti told reporters that Metzger punched him several times through the car window, leaving him with a chipped tooth and bruised face.
This violent act gave clear warning signs that things could escalate, which sadly they did later that evening.
Remembering Alexis Maki
Alexis Maki is being remembered as a kind, generous, and loving person. Her online obituary describes her as a proud pet parent to her dog Echo and her cats Scout and Honey. It also says she touched many lives with her selfless nature and deep care for others.
“People gravitated towards her charm,” the tribute read.
Sentencing to Be Held in June
Emmet Metzger has now officially pleaded guilty and is expected to be sentenced on June 9, 2025. He faces a minimum sentence of 45 years to life in prison, as per reports.