A 58-year-old Wisconsin man faces life behind bars after being convicted of murdering a newlywed couple during a shooting inside a bar where the wife worked.
A Walworth County jury on Friday deliberated under three hours before finding Thomas Routt guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and several other charges, including attempted homicide and armed robbery, in the killings of Gina Weingart, 37, and Emerson Weingart, 33.
Routt, also convicted of possessing methamphetamine and a firearm as a felon, is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 26.
During trial, prosecutors said Routt confessed to details only the killer would know and directed investigators to the murder weapon.
“There are details that he talks about that law enforcement didn’t give him,” said District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld, citing Routt’s statements about the shooting sequence and the victims’ actions.
Defense attorneys argued Routt’s confession was coerced following a traumatic interrogation.
On Feb. 1, 2024, deputies responded to a shooting at the Sports Page Barr in Elkhorn, discovering both victims dead from gunshot wounds. A witness said Routt entered, played gaming machines, then pulled a gun on Gina Weingart and demanded no one move.
The witness fled after Routt began firing, and Routt allegedly chased and shot at them.
Four days later, police arrested Routt during a traffic stop, finding methamphetamine on him. He reportedly confessed, saying he committed the murders “more than likely for the money.”
Investigators recovered the 9 mm handgun Routt said he discarded in a trash bin the day after the killings.
The Weingarts had married in June 2023 and were described as inseparable since starting their relationship in 2020.
