A Nicaraguan national has been arrested in Wisconsin for a brutal machete attack that seriously injured his ex-girlfriend and another man.
David Joel Mairena-Garcia, 29, faces six counts, including two charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the edged weapon attack in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He also has an immigration detainer hold.
The alleged assault occurred around 5 a.m. on Monday, April 20, when Mairena-Garcia reportedly entered the woman’s home uninvited and made his way to the bedroom.
Once inside, he hacked a 23-year-old man with a machete, and then Mairena-Garcia started attacking his ex-girlfriend, with whom he shares a child, police said. According to the criminal complaint, Mairena-Garcia told detectives, “he just wanted to kill them.”
WBAY News reported the attack left the two victims seriously hurt. Both victims suffered deep cuts and needed emergency surgery.
The Brown County District Attorney’s Office charged Mairena-Garcia on April 21 with two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. One of those includes a domestic abuse enhancer.
He’s also charged with two counts of aggravated battery by use of a dangerous weapon, one count of armed burglary and bail jumping, a misdemeanor.
His bond was set at $750,000 cash in court on Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 19 for a balance of initial appearance, WLUK FOX 11 reported.
“David did not say anything, he just went in and started cutting them and attacking them with the machete,” the woman told police per FOX 11. She “stated David had already made several death threats to her by text message and in person.”
The Green Bay Police Department issued a release saying officers responded at 5:15 a.m. to a home on the 900 block of Edgewood Drive for reports of an attack resulting in serious injuries.
Mairena-Garcia attacked the male victim with a machete in the shoulder, forearm and shin. The suspect then allegedly beat and stabbed his ex-girlfriend, a 26-year-old Green Bay woman. She sustained lacerations to her hand and neck, plus an injury to her head, FOX 11 reported.
Police located and detained Mairena-Garcia during a traffic stop around 8:35 a.m. and brought him to the Green Bay Police Department for questioning, WeAreGreenBay.com reported.
Several local news outlets did not mention his immigration status, describing him as a “Green Bay man.”
Other sources reported Mairena-Garcia has a criminal history in Wisconsin, with three guilty verdicts for operating without a valid license and an open case for hit-and-run.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican running for Wisconsin’s governor, shared news of the assault on X with the suspect’s criminal history.
“The media calls this Nicaraguan national a “Green Bay man.” The facts are that he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home and attacked her and another man with a machete. I’ll make sure every level of law enforcement works together to get these foreign criminals out of Wisconsin.”
During the attack, the male victim was able to flee outside and run down the street. Mairena-Garcia then turned on his ex-girlfriend and started beating her, chasing her out of the house.
The male victim told police Mairena-Garcia chased him down the road with the machete. He then got into his vehicle and took off. Police used Flock cameras to track Mairena-Garcia and arrested him during a traffic stop.
When interviewed by police, Mairena-Garcia stated he saw his “wife” and another male in his bed. He became enraged and “lost his mind,” the complaint states. Mairena-Garcia told police all he was thinking was “just wanting to kill them.”
The female victim and Mairena-Garcia have a child together, the complaint states.
He told police where he tossed the machete along the highway and it was recovered by authorities.
He was lodged in the Brown County Jail and a federal immigration detainer hold was placed on Mairena-Garcia. A witness reportedly told police Mairena-Garcia is from Nicaragua, according to the complaint.
The Brown County Jail in Green Bay, Wisconsin, participates in the ICE 287(g) program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This is the second reported violent stabbing by an illegal immigrant from Nicaragua in Wisconsin in recent weeks.
Luis Antonio Sevilla Benavidez, 23, was arrested last month for attempted murder and other charges and lodged in the Fond du Lac County Jail. A judge set bond at $2 million following the brutal attack.
Benavidez left his mother with life-threatening injuries after repeatedly stabbing her at their home in the lakeside community of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, police said.
The 51-year-old woman had “at least 26 stab wounds” that first responders could see during their assessment in the ambulance. The victim told police her son had been drinking and became violent after she told him to turn down his music, FOX 11 News reported.
