Daniel Navarro Homicide Trial Underway In Fond du Lac

Day two of the jury trial for Daniel Navarro starts today in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court.

Navarro is charged with a hate crime in a first-degree intentional homicide case stemming from an incident on July 3, 2020 when Navarro allegedly drove his pick-up truck head on into Phillip Theisen as he was riding his motorcycle on Wnnebago Drive near the City of
Fond du Lac.

On day one of the trial, the prosecution alleged that Navarro decided to kill a white person and believed that someone riding a Harley Davidson style motorcycle would be white.

The defense argued that Navarro did intentionally kill Thiessen, but it was not motivated by race.

They stated Navarro was attempting to escape his home, where he believed his neighbors were poisoning him and that was the only way he could think of to be removed from his home and get away from the neighbor and the other people who were poisoning him.

District Attorney Eric Toney said that this goes against Navarro’s statements in the criminal complaint, where Navarro continually brought up race.

Toney said these comments from the defendant’s interview with police point to racial motivations.

Navarro’s trial is expected to last eight days.