(Note: As always, these are notes and not intended as a fleshed-out article. As of June 2026, I have put in a request for the police file and if/when it arrives, I will add to this.)
Lucita J. Pereira was born 1935/6, a native of Hawaii with family roots in Guam and Honduras.
May 3, 1965: Lucita’s daughter Tzu-Li was born in Chicago.
February 1968, 32-year-old Lucita married 39-year-old August W. Restis. They lived at 5401 West National Avenue. August was identified as Tzu Li’s father, but he ran off shortly after the wedding.
Around 1970, Restis danced at Frank Balistrieri’s Ad Lib. In 1970, she was sued by Mrs. James Rosenheimer for alienation of affection. Her banker husband had become enamored of the dancer. The suit was dropped and the Rosenheimers divorced. The divorce was a big deal, as it divided up a large fortune.
1972, Restis moved into the James Rosenheimer home at 2700 East Newton Avenue in Shorewood. It was a rough relationship, with police called repeatedly for domestic disputes. On one occasion, Lucita drove her car into the home’s porch and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment.
March 1975, Restis was approved for welfare payments.
May 1975, Rosenheimer and Restis were to testify at a John Doe hearing in West Bend concerning Mafia involvement in business (particularly Universal Builders) and banking. Their presence was delayed until they could find an attorney. Rosenheimer formerly owned the State Bank of Fredonia and the Bank of Jackson and had been vice president of mob-influenced Universal Builders in 1973.
March 1976, Restis was working as a go-go dancer for the Camelot Lounge (2714 South 13th Street). The owner, Mrs. Carrol Decker, said James Rosenheimer came to the club every night to see her. She also worked at Marc’s Big Boy during the same time. Camelot’s manager said, “At one time she was a very beautiful girl. She had performed all over the country and got top billing. She showed us all her clippings. I feel she tried to come back to prove something to herself.” However, “she just didn’t have the moves anymore.”
Some time between 4:00 and 7:00pm April 26, 1976, Ms. Restis was murdered by being strangled with a lamp cord. Her 10-year-old daughter Tzu Li was also strangled, but with a bike lock. There was no sign of sexual assault, but the room looked like there was a struggle.
They were discovered in the basement rec room 48 hours later around 5:15pm by 18-year-old Bruce Rosenheimer, son of the homeowner, who still had a key. Lucita was face up, and her daughter was face down over her mother’s right arm. A liquor bottle was nearby. Lucita was wearing a blouse and underpants, with her slacks sitting nearby. The daughter had on a jean jacket, slacks and a sweatshirt. They were partially covered by a pink blanket. The oven was on in the kitchen and portions of a casserole were smeared on Lucita’s slacks and on the basement floor. A plate was in the basement, while the casserole dish was in a bag on the second floor. A loaded shotgun was found on a table in the basement and several other unloaded shotguns were in the basement. Nothing appeared to be stolen and none of the burglar alarms were tripped.
The press spoke to neighbors, who said Rosenheimer and Restis did not associate with their neighbors. Police were at the house “frequently” because of noisy fights.
Bruce lived in West Bend but stopped back home occasionally – he had last been at the Shorewood house three weeks earlier. Police questioned why he had a split lip and missing tooth, but he said he got in a fight in Florida, and a UW-Milwaukee student confirmed the fight. James Rosenheimer was in Switzerland, but his attorney (Michael Hupy) contacted a mutual friend (attorney Duane Schauffler) who was able to reach him in Zurich and let him know what had happened. Hupy told the press, “There had been no threats to either one of them that I know of. Rosenheimer was just in kind of a daze. He just couldn’t believe what had happened.”
On April 30, her brother Daniel John Pereira (an air traffic controller in Deming, New Mexico) spoke to the press, saying he wasn’t surprised his sister was killed. “She has always associated with underworld people,” he said. “This has been going on a long time, even when she was a girl.” Daniel said he and his sister were born in Hawaii, and Lucita still has a 20-year-old daughter there named Linda Lee Pereira. Their mother operated two restaurants in Guam, and their father is dead. Lucita had a husband, but no one knew where he was.
As of May 1, the Shorewood police had received “many calls” offering information, but no arrest was made. Chief Jones said, “She is a professional woman who has many contacts, friends, etc.” including in entertainment.
Rosenheimer was back in Milwaukee on May 3 and was able to provide police with hotel receipts and a passport to show he was in Europe at the time. The district attorney said Rosenheimer had “cooperated and answered all the questions” and “I have no reason to doubt” his innocence.
May 5, William J. Heinen was arrested at his home (2908 South 15th Street, Sheboygan) and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. When police arrived, they knocked for a half hour and nobody answered, despite Heinen and his wife Jane being home. They finally broke the door down. Heinen was an employee of Vinyl Plastics for over 20 years and considered a good employee, though neighbors said he was “very queer, odd and secretive.”
Bail was set at $50,000 and a preliminary hearing was set before Judge Frederick Kessler. Public defender Martin Love was assigned to Heinen. At his initial appearance, Heinen was wearing a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans, and had a pillowcase on his head with eye holes cut out. DA Michael McCann explained he was going to appear in a lineup, so they did not want his photo leaked early. Heinen was identified as a factory worker and friend of Lucita, who was tracked down through fingerprints found on a brandy bottle. Reporter Ned Day (a former bartender for Frank Balistrieri) was a friend of Lucita’s and he said she had been seeing a “farmer from Sheboygan” who was “weird, odd, crazy and psycho.” Through Day, the police were able to narrow down a name. Heinen had recently been in a car accident with Lucita as a passenger, making the record complete.
May 6, district attorney Michael McCann conceded the names of underworld figures came up during the investigation but said there was no “Mafia” link in the murders. Regarding radio reports that it was a Mafia killing, he said, “That’s bullshit. There is no reason to believe that organized crime is involved in these murders at all.”
May 11, 1976, at the preliminary hearing, investigator Robert Scopoline laid out the confession made to him by William Heinen. Scopoline said, “He knew Mrs. Restis for seven years. He only used her for sex and he would pay her approximately $100 each time. He gave her $7,000 in seven years and $1,000 so far in 1976.” According to Heinen, the pair had gone out drinking at several taverns before the murder and he paid her $100. They then went back to the Shorewood home and watched TV for a while. Heinen wanted sex, but Restis said only for $50. Heinen said no, because he already gave her $100. She became “irritated” and “took a shotgun and pointed it at him.” After she put the gun down, he choked her for ten minutes. “I wanted to make damn sure she was dead.” Then he choked her daughter. At the hearing, despite the confession, Heinen pleaded not guilty and a jury trial was set for July 6.
Jury selection began July 6 and continued through July 7. One juror, Vivian Urbano, was excused for a death in the family.
July 11, Heinen testified about his personal history, growing up in Random Lake, attending Catholic school, and then running away from home at age 16. He joined the Army and went to Korea, and never got on well with women for dating, preferring Asian prostitutes.
July 12, 1976, Heinen testified, “I didn’t believe I could do something like that. I couldn’t control myself. I was out of control.” Heinen said after the murders, he drove home and told his 17-year-old son what happened and the son didn’t believe it. Heinen told about how he first met Lucita in 1969 when she was a dancer in a Milwaukee bar and “couldn’t get over how pretty she was.” He entered a pay-for-sex relationship that his wife and son knew about. Heinen said he loved Lucita, but paid her to keep the relationship from becoming personal.
July 13, 1976, closing arguments came down whether this was first or second degree murder. The prosecution argued for first degree, describing the killings as “executions.” The defense called them a “bizarre depraved act beyond Heinen’s power to control,” emphasizing his poor emotional connection to women.
A jury deliberated for ten hours and found William J. Heinen guilty of two counts of second-degree murder. The prosecution made a final argument that Heinen had committed a “barbaric execution” of the two victims, while defense attorney Martin Love said Heinen had loved Lucita Restis for 7 years and “frequently paid to have sex with her.” He said Heinen was a Korean war veteran who never knew love and was “sexually estranged” from his wife. Heinen paid for Restis’ needs, such as medical bills. “The one person who meant anything to him… struck out at him. It was at that point he lost control.” The penalty for two second-degree murders was 10 to 50 years in prison.
After closing arguments, attorney Love told his client that his 79-year-old mother, Gertrude Heinen, had died and was already buried. They had purposely avoided telling him during the trial.
Sentenced to 50 years, with eligibility for parole after 5 years.
October 20, 1976, the Milwaukee Sentinel reported that the Heinen trial cost taxpayers $23,711 when factoring in police, medical examiner, sheriff’s department, state crime lab, the jail, jury, both attorneys, judge, bailiff and more. His imprisonment would cost taxpayers another $7,242 annually.
October 1981, Heinen applied for a pardon from Governor Dreyfus. (I don’t believe he got it.)