Pizza Hut boss received eerie texts, call from slain manager’s phone before body found in trash: report

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A South Milwaukee Pizza Hut employee allegedly shot his manager in the head after trying to slit his throat over a $7,000 inheritance check and then dumped his body in the trash, according to police.

Surveillance footage – time stamped 10:25 a.m. on Feb. 5 – showed a man dragging a garbage can from inside the pizza joint to the dumpsters in the back, according to a report by Fox 6 Milwaukee, which cited the criminal complaint.

Three minutes later, the regional general manager told law enforcement that he received a text from the manager’s phone three minutes later – at 10:28 a.m. – that said, “Had a brain fart, what’s the door code again? Left my keys in the store.” 

The man struggling with the garbage can was identified as Kavonn Ingram, 31, who was arrested and faces several felony charges for allegedly killing his boss, Alexander Stengel, 55. 

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Kavonn Ingram, 31, allegedly killed his manager at a South Milwaukee Pizza Hut and dumped his body in the trash. (Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office )

The general manager also received a call from Stengel’s phone at 10:29 a.m., but she said the phone was muffled, and it sounded windy, according to the local news outlet. 

At 11:07 a.m., the general manager received a second text from the victim’s phone claiming he was so sick that he needed to go home. 

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“Been here since 8:30. I’m still feeling nauseous after throwing up 3 times,” the reportedly said. “The last time I even threw up a lil blood. Tried to smoke a cigarette to ease my stomach, but still sweating like a pig. It seems like I keep getting worse so I’m heading out. Already clocked out. Did what I could, but I need to get checked out or something.”

Law enforcement followed the man, who was seen in surveillance video from Taco Bell, which is behind the Pizza Hut, dragging the garbage can to a bus stop, and continued to monitor his actions using security video from a Milwaukee County Transit Bus. 

At 11:07 a.m., he was seen with a phone in his hand. 

A South Milwaukee Pizza Hut manager was found in the dumpster behind the pizza joint after one of his employees allegedly killed him.  (Fox 6 Milwaukee )

Law enforcement continued to watch the security videos to see where he got off the bus, and essentially reversed the direction of his commute to ultimately identify Ingram as the alleged killer, Fox 6 Milwaukee reported. 

Ingram’s movements were also confirmed by pings from his phone and the victim’s phone as he moved through the otherwise quiet area of South Milwaukee. 

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The gruesome details of the murder spread quickly throughout the community, which was on edge for days. 

Yvie James, who works as a waitress at the cafe across the street from Pizza Hut, told TMJ4, “I know there is crime everywhere, but they’re very rare over here … What if it was one of our customers? It’s just real scary to know that stuff is happening directly across the street.”

Detectives set up a crime scene behind Pizza Hut after finding man’s body in the trash. (Fox 6 Milwaukee)

Stengel was killed on Feb. 5, and his body was found two days later, according to police. 

Investigators executed search warrants and tailed their prime suspect from Feb. 9 to 11, and took him into custody that morning. 

“We believe the money was the motive for this crime,” South Milwaukee Police said, referring to Stengel’s inheritance. 

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Ingram was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon, all felonies. 

He’s being held on a $200,000 bond. 

He was convicted of drug-related charges in 2015 and 2016, according to court records. 

Chris Eberhart is a crime and US news reporter for Fox News Digital. Email tips to chris.eberhart@fox.com or on Twitter @ChrisEberhart48.