E-Paper
Felon arrested for killing newlyweds in Wisconsin bar admits he shot them for less than $150
Thomas Routt Jr. was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Gina Weingart, 37, and her husband, Emerson Weingart, 33
The man who was detained after allegedly shooting dead a Wisconsin couple inside a bar admitted that he killed them to rob them of less than $150 from the cash drawer, police said. On February 1, convicted felon Thomas Routt Jr., 57, was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of newlyweds Gina Weingart, 37, and her husband, Emerson Weingart, 33, Elkhorn police said.
Sports Page Barr worker Gina and her husband got married only last summer. They were gunned down a little after midnight. Routt said he swiped between $120 and $140 from a cash drawer and then fled home in his car.
According to a witness, Routt played a video game machine inside the bar for about 30 minutes. He then suddenly pulled out a gun, ordering the newlyweds and another person not to move.
“The eyewitness said Routt brandished a handgun and pointed it at Gina, the bartender, and ordered them not to move,” police said, according to New York Post. “The eyewitness said they instinctively got up off their barstool and Routt pointed the gun at the eyewitness and ordered the eyewitness not to move.”
When he opened fire, eyewitnesses ran out and dialled 911. He was arrested by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office on February 4 on a Department of Corrections hold. At the time, he was on parole for arson.
“Routt subsequently admitted to shooting both Emerson and Gina Weingart and following the eyewitness out the back door and shooting at the eyewitness as they fled,” police said. He also faces one count of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery and felon in possession of a firearm.
“Routt said the next morning he discarded the weapon and ammunition in a trash receptacle at the Handi-Mart in Lake Como,” police said. A 9mm handgun and ammo were later recovered from the garbage.
Routt appeared in court late last week, where Emerson’s father, Jeff Weingart, called him a monster, according to CBS 58. He will appear in court again on Wednesday, February 21. “We will be pleading not guilty,” his attorney, Russell Jones, said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there were surveillance cameras, but at this point we have not been provided any video footage of anything.”
