A Korean man, Youngjae Choi, who killed a neighbor with a “samurai sword” in 2014, has been granted conditional release from a Wisconsin state mental health facility after 11 years, a ruling the victim’s family warns is “very dangerous.”
The Jefferson County Circuit Court approved Choi’s release on November 5th, concluding he no longer meets the legal standard of posing a significant danger to himself or others. The ruling comes more than a decade after the killing inside an apartment above Yangers’ Bar in downtown Watertown.
Choi remains at the Mendota Mental Health Institute. Once specific requirements are finalized in January 2026, he is expected to move into a supervised group living facility.
The family of the victim told TMJ4 News that Choi “is still dangerous” and urged authorities to ensure the community’s safety.
The attack occurred on June 19, 2014, when the then-29-year-old Choi confronted his neighbor and violently stabbed him with a sword. The victim, Dustin M. Vander Heyden, suffered a partial scalping, injuries to his back, shoulders, and neck, and a life-threatening abdominal wound. He died during surgery at Watertown Regional Medical Center.
Choi was arrested after a standoff in which he claimed to be God and told officers that “the universe” had commanded him to kill Vander Heyden.
On October 8, 2015, Judge Randy Koschnick accepted Choi’s plea of no contest and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Doctors determined Choi suffered from schizophrenia and was unable to understand the wrongfulness of his actions at the time of the killing.
Choi’s earlier requests for community release were repeatedly denied, beginning in 2019, as courts concluded he remained too dangerous. That changed only after two independent clinical psychologists submitted new evaluations supporting conditional release.
Choi’s attorney, Michael Witt, said Choi is “a different person” when he remains on medication and in treatment. Witt added that Choi recognizes when his thinking becomes unstable and understands the need for continued medical care.
Vander Heyden’s family has long expressed fear that Choi could one day be released. In earlier court statements, family members—including Diana Black, Brenda Vander Heyden, and Caleb Kurber—described overwhelming grief, trauma, and frustration that Choi would not serve his sentence in prison.
Vander Heyden’s widow, Minnie Vander Heyden, told the court she lost “the love of my life” and remains convinced that Choi knew what he was doing. While she rejected descriptions of Choi as a monster, she insisted he “should never be allowed to walk free again.”
Under Wisconsin law, defendants found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect are committed to the Department of Health Services rather than prison, and statutory minimum prison terms do not apply. If Choi had been found mentally competent and convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, he would have faced at least 20 years in prison.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
