The South Milwaukee teen facing a felony homicide charge in the death of his grandmother is now competent to continue in court, according to online court records.
Edward Barbara, 16, is accused of strangling his grandmother in August 2025 and is facing one charge of first-degree intentional homicide.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Wall found Barbara competent after reviewing a report on Aug. 5, 2026, and reinstated proceedings, according to online court records.
Barbara was previously ordered to be examined by a forensic unit on Jan. 9, 2026, and was found not competent to stand trial on Jan. 30.
A request for a reverse waiver hearing for the teenager was granted in October 2025, but paused during competency proceedings. A reverse waiver hearing is where the court determines if a case can move from adult to juvenile court. Children as young as 10 years old can be charged as adults for certain crimes.
With the judicial process now moving forward, the court granted the defense’s Aug. 5, 2026 request to hold the reverse waiver hearing, per online court records.
A status conference is scheduled for Nov. 6 with two motion hearings scheduled for Jan. 21 and 22, 2027.
According to the complaint:
Barbara’s 68-year-old grandmother, Elizabeth Totsky, was found without a pulse on the floor of her home in the 1700 block of Oak Street in South Milwaukee on Aug. 27, 2025.
She regained a pulse and was taken by the South Milwaukee Fire Department to the hospital, but died four days later.
Barbara told police his grandmother suffered a seizure while cooking and collapsed onto the kitchen floor. However, an autopsy noted neck injuries and concluded Totsky died of strangulation.
When confronted with the findings, Barbara admitted to police that he strangled his grandmother from behind until she went limp.
Contact Erik at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Follow his Facebook page, The Redheadliner Erik S. Hanley, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: South Milwaukee teen accused of killing grandmother found competent
Reporting by Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
