Madison Woman Faces Murder Charge

Domestic Altercation led to the stabbing

A Madison woman has been charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of her girlfriend and three counts of attempted murder in connection with a domestic altercation that took place at the Presidential apartments early Friday morning.

26 yo Tori Michelle Dennison,appeared in Jefferson Circuit Court Friday afternoon for an initial hearing facing four Level 1 felonies. She pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held without bond. The Jefferson County Prosecutors office indicated the state will seek No Contact Orders related to the other three victims in the case.

According to an affidavit in the case, the incident was investigated by Madison Police Department Detectives after officers were dispatched to 130 Regatta Court, Apartment E, at 2:32 a.m. in reference to a “female who was actively stabbing her girlfriend.”

An MPD Officer and a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived first at the scene at approximately 2:36 a.m. and, along with another Sheriff's deputy forced entry into the residence. Once inside they could hear “knocking, screaming and crying coming from the upstairs portion of the apartment.”

Officers went to the stairway, identified the arrival of police and ordered the occupants to come downstairs with their hands up. Within a few seconds Dennison came halfway down the stairs with a “substantial amount of blood on both of her arms, both of her hands and her clothing” and an officer observed a knife in her right hand. and ordered Dennison to drop the knife and she complied and he then commanded her to come down the stairs where she was placed into custody.

Two officers continued upstairs where they discovered a female, later identified as 24 yo Casey Kellan Hilt, lying on a bed on her back. 

Officers continued to clear other rooms in the upstairs of the apartment and located Dennison’s mother, and two other subjects in a separate bedroom. The officers had all three exit the crime scene.

While being interviewed later Friday morning, Dennison's mother told police she observed what she believed to be Dennison punching Hilt, but then realized she was stabbing Hilt and fled to the other bedroom with the two other occupants. She said her daughter has a girlfriend named Casey and that they were staying the night at the Regatta Court apartment and that Dennison had been drinking throughout the evening, but Hilt had not.

A search warrant was obtained for a blood sample from Dennison and while the sample was being collected at Norton King’s Daughters’ Hospital, a Madison Patrolman heard Dennison ask “did I kill her.”

While being interviewed later at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office & Criminal Justice Center, Dennison told Madison Police Detectives that she and Hilt had been in a relationship for about a year and have had fights in the past but nothing physical. She told police she had been drinking beer but denied consuming other alcohol or drugs. She said she was “supposed to take medication for depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, but has not taken her medication in a long time.”

Dennison said Hilt had gone upstairs to sleep with her mother and had been gone approximately 10-20 minutes before she went upstairs and stabbed Hilt with the “survival knife” that she later dropped on the stairs when commanded by police. She said Hall had ran out of the room to the other bedroom during the attack.

 Dennison said during their interview, that after stabbing Hilt, she went to the other bedroom door and stabbed it with the knife because she “intended to kill everyone else.”

With a suspect quickly taken into custody, Madison Police Chief Shawn Scudder announced late Friday morning that there was “no ongoing threat to the public” and that the investigation is ongoing with more details to be released as they become available.

“This is a tragic event for our community, and our hearts are with the victim’s family and loved ones,” said Scudder. “Thanks to the swift and coordinated work of our officers and investigators, we were able to quickly apprehend the suspect. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to ensure justice is served.”

Court records show that Dennison has faced other charges in the past including pleading guilty to Domestic Battery in the presence of a child less than 16 years old in November 2022, for which she was sentenced to 360 days probation and required to seek treatment. She also pleaded guilty to Invasion of Privacy-Violation of a Protective Order, in June 2022 and served eight days in the county jail.