GREEN BAY, Wis. — A 25-year-old Wisconsin inmate, Jackson Vogel, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal killing of his cellmate in what authorities say was a racially and sexually motivated hate crime.
According to prosecutors, Vogel strangled 19-year-old Micah Laureano inside their shared cell at Green Bay Correctional Institution in August 2024. Investigators said Laureano’s hands and feet were bound and his body was found hanging from the top bunk. During questioning, Vogel admitted he targeted Laureano because he was Black and gay.
A jury convicted Vogel earlier this year of first-degree intentional homicide. Jurors heard testimony that Vogel had a documented history of racist behavior, white-supremacist ideology, and violent threats while incarcerated. Laureano, who was serving a three-year sentence for robbery and battery, had previously raised safety concerns to staff, according to family members.
At sentencing, the judge called Vogel a “killing machine” who posed an ongoing threat to society and the prison system. Vogel addressed the court but showed little emotion, saying he did not understand remorse yet claimed he was “sorry” for the killing.
Laureano’s family has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, arguing that officials knowingly placed their son in danger by housing him with Vogel despite a clear pattern of extremist behavior and threats.
The high-profile case has intensified scrutiny on prison housing policies, mental-health oversight, and safety protections for LGBTQ+ and minority inmates in Wisconsin’s correctional system. Advocates say the murder underscores long-standing failures to identify and separate violent extremists from vulnerable individuals inside state facilities.
As reform groups renew calls to close or overhaul the aging Green Bay prison, state officials say they are reviewing protocols related to inmate classification and threat assessment. Meanwhile, Laureano’s family says they hope their son’s death forces meaningful change.
“We can’t bring Micah back,” a family member said outside the courthouse. “But we expect accountability — and we want to make sure this never happens to another family again.”
