Man arrested in fatal shooting of newly married couple in Wisconsin

ELKHORN, Wis. — A Wisconsin man has been arrested in connection to the shooting deaths of a couple that had recently been married.

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According to a news release from the city of Elkhorn on Friday, Thomas Allen Routt Jr., 57, of Elkhorn, was arrested on Feb. 6. He was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, armed robbery, and felon in possession of a firearm, the release stated.

“I believe these acts could be considered to be premeditated in nature,” Judge David Reddy said Friday as Routt made his initial appearance in a Walworth County court, according to WITI-TV.

Routt is accused in the shooting deaths of Emerson Weingart, 33, and Gina Weingart, 37, WISN-TV reported. Gina Weingart was a bartender at the Sports Page Barr in Elkhorn, and her husband, whom she married last summer, was in the bar on the night of the shootings, according to the television station.

Routt allegedly told investigators that the motive for the shooting was robbery, according to the city’s news release. He allegedly took between $120 and $140 from an open cash drawer after the shooting.

A witness, who was the only other person in the bar at the time of the shooting, said the suspect entered the business and played gaming machines for about 30 minutes before showing a handgun, the city’s news release stated.

Routt subsequently admitted to shooting both Emerson and Gina Weingart and following the eyewitness out of the back door and shooting at him as he fled, according to the release.

According to police, Routt allegedly disposed of the weapon in the trash receptacle at a Handi-Mart convenience store in Lake Como. Officers later found a 9mm handgun and ammunition there, WITI reported.

Routt was arrested on Feb. 4 after Walworth County sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven in LaFayette around 3:20 a.m. CST, according to the television station.

He was found to have contraband and was booked into the Walworth County Jail.

Two days later, Routt asked to speak with detectives and allegedly admitted to being the shooter at the Sports Page Barr, WITI reported.

Routt’s bail was set at $2 million on Friday, according to the television station.

“He will maintain his innocence until we can get in front of a jury,” Russell Jones, Routt’s attorney, told reporters.

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