ELKHORN, Wis. — The person of interest who was arrested in connection to a double homicide at the Sports Page Barr on February 1 has been identified as Thomas Routt Jr., his attorney confirmed to TMJ4 News.
Russell Jones, a local criminal defense attorney, says he was retained by Routt's family on Monday. He says Routt continues to maintain his innocence, and says he was not involved in the case.
TMJ4 does not normally name suspects until they have been criminally charged in a case. We are choosing to name Routt at this time due to the information provided to us by his attorney, and the high level of community concern over the fatal shooting.
Routt is currently being held in the Walworth County Jail on a corrections hold, because of his previous criminal history.
Routt served several years in federal prison on a slew of convictions, including arson, burglary, and forgery.
He has been out on parole for some time now, and Jones says police can hold him longer than the typical 72 hours due to his parole status.
Neighbors tell TMJ4 they saw a large police presence near Routt's home on Sunday. In a Monday evening press release, the Elkhorn Police Department said they had arrested a person of interest, who Jones says is his client, Routt.
On February 1, officers responded to the Sports Page Barr in downtown Elkhorn for a report of shots fired and a person down. Upon arrival, they discovered a man and a woman who had been fatally shot.
Officers later identified them as 33-year-old Emerson Weingart and 37-year-old Gina Weingart.
Family members of the couple tell TMJ4 Gina worked at the bar part-time, and that her husband, Emerson, would hang out with her until she closed the bar.
They tell us the couple got married last year in June 2023, and were beloved by friends, family, co-workers, and members of their church, where they were regulars.
They also tell us the couple loved "anything and everything outdoors."
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