Man Found Not Guilty of Homicide After Jury Trial in Wisconsin Rapids

Thursday, February 19th, 2026 -- 11:01 AM

(Justin Betti, WAOW) A man has been found not guilty in a homicide trial in Wisconsin Rapids.

According to Justin Betti with WAOW, Randall Harris Jr. was charged with first degree intentional homicide and first degree recklessly endangering safety, tied to the death of his father Randall Harris Sr. early on Halloween morning. Officers found Harris Sr. in the basement of a home with multiple gun shot and stab wounds.

Harris Jr. had argued that he was acting in self-defense. The jury deliberated for just a few hours before reaching their verdict. The prosecution rested their case last Thursday. On Tuesday, court records show the defense rested as well, then both sides made closing arguments.

The trial originally started on Monday, February 2nd, but came to a halt two days later when a judge declared a mistrial due to a Brady violation, meaning the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense.

The issue was corrected, and the trial was restarted one week later with a new jury.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.