A 43-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 17 for the fatal stabbing of a homeowner and his dog last year.
Justin Tercek was convicted on April 21 of first-degree intentional homicide, mistreatment of animals causing death, burglary, and criminal damage to property, according to Fox 6.
The victim, 52-year-old Andrew Pfannkuche, was killed on Feb. 3, 2025, three days after moving into his new home. According to a criminal complaint obtained by WDJT, Tercek broke into the residence that night, took a set of keys, and told Pfannkuche that he was trespassing because Tercek’s grandmother owned the house.
Reporting from WGTD indicates Pfannkuche had purchased the property from the estate of Tercek’s grandmother. Tercek returned to the house multiple times before stabbing Pfannkuche and his dog, Jake.
Pfannkuche was discovered dead later that day when Tercek’s relatives arrived at the residence to apologize for Tercek’s earlier actions, the criminal complaint states.
WGTD reported that during the sentencing hearing, the court heard that Tercek had recently been released from jail prior to the attack. He had also reportedly told a pastor the day before the stabbing that he was possessed by demons.
Tercek chose not to address the court during the proceeding. Multiple friends and family members of Pfannkuche delivered victim impact statements, according to WTMJ.
“I do want to express that there is no winning or closure today, nothing will ever bring my uncle Andy or Jake back, we want nothing more than to hear his laugh, hug him and see him at our family dinners, birthdays and family holidays, but we can’t,” Pfannkuche’s niece, Antoinette Leon, said.
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