KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – Officials in southeastern Wisconsin say a 33-year-old woman has officially been charged with homicide regarding her daughter’s 2022 death.
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According to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, 33-year-old Christina Torchia, the mother of Layla Stahl, who was found dead in her bedroom on April 20, 2022, faces First-Degree Intentional Homicide charges for Layla’s death.
At the time of the initial investigation into Layla’s death, officials reported no obvious signs of trauma or foul play. Torchia had pleaded guilty in July 2024 to Solicitation of First-Degree Intentional Homicide in a separate investigation and received the maximum sentence.
According to a release, officials began re-examining Layla’s death earlier this year, re-interviewing witnesses and looking over evidence and developed new information that prompted a March 12 interview with Torchia.
Officials say the interview resulted in ‘numerous inconsistencies’ which evidence had contradicted, and following further investigation, Layla’s manner of death was amended to homicide.
Torchia, according to the release, is now formally charged with First-Degree Intentional Homicide.
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Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner said the following via a release:
“Time does not erase responsibility, and it does not diminish our duty to seek justice. This case remained a priority for our investigators, even when the answers were not immediately clear. Through persistence, professionalism, and a refusal to give up, we are now in a position to move forward with charges. Layla deserved better, and we will continue to pursue justice on her behalf.”
Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner
