Makayla Rutka-Plaza told a Wisconsin court commissioner that her estranged husband had access to knives and she feared for her safety.

Two months later, prosecutors charged Marckus Plaza with stabbing his 28-year-old wife to death with their children in the home.

Makayla was a Kenosha public school teacher and former correctional officer who had worked as an advocate at Women and Children's Horizons, a local domestic violence shelter.

She filed for a restraining order on February 3, describing a pattern of control and abuse during their deteriorating divorce.

What the Court Records Show

Court transcripts reveal Makayla told Commissioner William "Bargain Bail Billy" Michel II that Marckus would take her keys so she couldn't leave, listen to her phone calls through their security system, take her credit card, and lock her in the house.

She described bruising she discovered after he allegedly seized her phone on December 29.

The physical contact Makayla described independently satisfied Wisconsin's statutory definition of harassment.

The court denied her request for failure to meet the burden of proof.

Previous Violence Goes Uncharged

Six weeks before the fatal attack, Marckus struck and swung a knife at Makayla's boyfriend, Korey Williams.

He was never charged in that incident.

State records show Marckus had criminal convictions dating back to 2016, but they don't appear in other records because the convictions were allegedly expunged.

The Fatal Attack

On April 1, prosecutors say Marckus stabbed Makayla multiple times in the basement of her home.

Their 2-year-old and 4-year-old children watched as he stabbed her seven times in the face, neck, and chest.

A friend gave police a recording of a phone call Makayla made during the attack, in which she can be heard screaming, apologizing and pleading for him to stop.

Marckus led police on a nearly 30-hour manhunt before his arrest.

He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and child abuse, with bond set at $2 million.