A Wisconsin man who has been charged with killing two people in a robbery at a sports bar on Feb. 1 has told police he netted less than $150 from the heist.
Thomas Routt Jr., 57, was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of Gina Weingart, 37, and her husband, Emerson Weingart, 33, according to the New York Post.
According to a statement from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, police the two were killed at the Sports Page Bar, where Gina Weingart was employed. Police said Routt got between $120 and $140 from a register after the shooting.
The statement said Routt entered the bar and played games until there were only four people in the bar, the Weingarts, a witness and Routt.
The police statement said, “Routt brandished a handgun and pointed it at Gina, the bartender, and ordered them not to move. 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.”
The statement said that the witness fled after Gina Weingart was shot and was shot at as he fled.
Thomas Routt appeared in court Fri for the first time in connection to the murder of 2 people in Elkhorn.
Among the 5 felony charges: 2 counts of 1st-degree intentional homicide, one count attempted 1st-degree intentional homicide
Bond was set at $2m.https://t.co/00SXkt5aqb— Adam Rife (@AdamRifeReports) February 17, 2024
Police said three days after the shooting, Routt was arrested and confessed.
Is the U.S. justice system failing?
Routt told police where he had discarded the weapon and ammunition that he used. Police went to the site and found a 9mm handgun and ammunition, according to the statement.
Routt appeared in court Friday on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count each of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon and remains jailed on $2 million bond, according to WDJT-TV.
Jeff Weingart, Emerson Weingart’s father, called Routt a monster at the hearing and said, “Our families have been devastated by this senseless act of violence.”
Routt has a lengthy criminal history and had been in prison for more than 20 years on arson and burglary convictions.
He was paroled in 2020.
Jeff Weingart touched on that at Friday’s hearing, saying, “Please recall that the system that convicted and incarcerated him failed.”.
“Finally, the press needs to do its job and use all its investigatory resources to find out why Tony Evers administration paroled this monster who committed this brazen act that took the life of two special, beautiful, loving people,” Weingart said, according to WISN-TV.
WISN said that in 2023, Routt said during a public appearance that, “While in prison, I decided I need help and that I needed to change my life totally around.”
“I am no longer a loser, a loner or suffer from depression,” Routt said then.
