She just wanted to stay friends. He had something far more sinister in mind.
Angelo Liberto, 22, of Franklin, Wisconsin, is now sitting in a jail cell on $2 million bail — charged with attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, and false imprisonment, all involving a dangerous weapon. Every single charge is a felony.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim had met Liberto through a mutual friend back in September 2025. They went on a few dates. She wasn’t interested romantically. She told him that clearly. And yet — Liberto showed up at her home at 1 a.m., crossing a boundary so obvious she had to text him about it. Twice.
On the night of May 29, she agreed to meet him at a bar after work — as a friend. That decision almost cost her everything.
He lured her into the back seat of his car with the promise of a gift. Lotion. Chocolates. A setup. The moment the doors closed, the mask came off. He drove to an unknown location, pulled over, and told her — coldly — “You should’ve been scared.” Then he pulled out a gun.
When she struggled, he switched to a knife. He demanded her phone. He forced her into handcuffs. He accused her of seeing other people, called her a liar, and told her they were headed to a lake house — where he planned to rape her.
“We are at the point of no return,” he allegedly told her. He also said — unprompted — that “people kill people because they do bad things and get scared of getting caught.” The victim told investigators she genuinely feared she would not survive the night.
Somehow, while Liberto was talking, she managed to get her phone off airplane mode. She called 911. She called her mother. She called a friend. All while handcuffed in the back of a moving car.
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s deputies pulled the car over at 11 p.m. What they found inside wasn’t just a gun and handcuffs. Officers discovered a hacksaw, duct tape, a tarp, a shovel, bondage restraints, a hogtie kit, gloves, headlamps, hydrogen peroxide, a wrecking bar, and an unknown clear liquid — among other items.
This was not a crime of impulse. This car was packed like a kit.
Liberto was arrested and booked on May 31. But what happened next made prosecutors move fast to raise his bail from $200,000 to $2 million: while locked up, Liberto allegedly told a cellmate he wanted to “finish what he started” if released — and fully admitted to the crime while doing it.
His attorney, Chris Carson, maintains that Liberto “adamantly denies any wrongdoing” and reminded the court that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted on all charges, Liberto faces up to 66 years in prison and over $160,000 in fines. His preliminary hearing took place June 9. The case moves forward.
The victim made it home that night because she kept her head when everything around her fell apart. She is alive. He is behind bars. And the contents of that car tell a story no defense attorney can easily explain away.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available 24/7:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.org.
