Man charged in Brittany Zimmerman death in court, $1M bond ordered

MADISON, Wis. — The man accused of killing a college student in her downtown Madison home more than 12 years ago had a court hearing Thursday afternoon.

David Kahl, 53, faces homicide charges in the 2008 death of Brittany Zimmermann.

He appeared virtually for Thursday’s hearing from the Oshkosh Correctional Institution, where he is currently serving a prison sentence for his seventh drunken driving offense. Kahl had just been approved for an early release program when an arrest warrant issued in March charged him in the Zimmermann case.

A cash bond of $1M was set during the hearing. Kahl is also not allowed to be in contact with Zimmerman’s family or possess a dangerous weapon and must wear a GPS monitoring bracelet if he posts bail.

Zimmermann was found strangled and stabbed at her West Doty Street apartment on April 2, 2008 by her boyfriend. Police said she had just returned home from class when someone followed her into her apartment.

The 21-year-old Marshfield native was studying medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the time of her death.

Madison detectives spent years searching for Zimmermann’s killer before charging Kahl in March.

Witnesses testimony and a DNA match helped Madison detectives in the case. Officers also interviewed Kahl multiple times over several years in connection to Zimmermann’s death. A criminal complaint in the case details some of those interactions between Kahl and Madison officers.

Kahl is charged with first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime and by use of a dangerous weapon.