A three-week-long trial is scheduled in Vernon County next year, for the man accused of killing Terry Dolowy four decades ago.

In September of 2024, Michael Popp of Tomah was charged with the murder of Dolowy, a young woman killed and beheaded in 1985. Judge Mark Goodman from Monroe County will hear the Popp trial in Vernon County, where the crime was committed. The selection of a jury is set to begin October 15th of 2026, with testimony starting the following Monday.

Popp is now 62 years old. He was arrested in September of last year for the death of the 24-year-old Dolowy, whose headless body was burned in a ditch. Jury selection for the Popp trial is scheduled to start October 15th of 2026 in Vernon County court.

At the time of Popp's arrest, Monroe County district attorney Kevin Chroninger said advances in technology over the years allowed scientists to find Popp's DNA in or on Dolowy's body.