A 58-year-old Wisconsin man will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering a newlywed couple last year, shooting them inside a bar where the female victim worked as a bartender.
A jury in Walworth County deliberated for less than three hours on Friday before convicting Thomas Routt on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count each of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, armed robbery, and felon possession of a firearm in the deaths of Gina Weingart, 37, and Emerson Weingart, 33, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Routt was also found guilty on one count of possessing methamphetamine. He faces a possible life sentence when he returns to court on September 26.
During the trial, prosecutors claimed that Routt confessed to the murders with specific details that only the killer would have known, as well as directing investigators to the firearm used in the crime.
“He discusses details that law enforcement did not provide him. Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld told jurors about the order of shots and Emerson’s phone call at the time, according to Milwaukee NBC affiliate WTMJ. “All of those little details that he has, those aren’t things that law enforcement gave him.”
Routt’s defense attorney, on the other hand, allegedly claimed that his client’s confession was coerced after a traumatic interrogation that resulted in a “psychological breakdown.”
According to Law&Crime, at 12:11 a.m. on February 1, 2024, deputies from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call reporting “shots fired and a person down” inside the Sports Page Barr, which is located at 29 1/2 South Wisconsin Street in Elkhorn. The establishment is approximately 45 miles southwest of Milwaukee.
Deputies and officers from the Elkhorn Police Department arrived at the scene and discovered the bodies of a male and a female — later identified as the Weingarts — inside the bar, both with apparent gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.
The Walworth County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, and the Wisconsin State Patrol all assisted the agencies with their investigations.
According to police, only one person was present in the bar at the time of the shooting. The witness informed investigators that Routt “came into the bar and began playing the gaming machines.” After about 30 minutes, only the witness, the victims, and Routt remained at the bar.
“The eyewitness said Routt brandished a handgun and pointed it at Gina [Weingart], the bartender, and ordered them not to move,” police said in a news release after Routt was arrested. “The eyewitness stated that they instinctively rose from their bar stool, and Routt pointed the gun at the eyewitness and ordered him not to move. The eyewitness stated that they sat back down, and Routt then fired the gun at Gina [Weingart], and the eyewitness immediately fled out the door, calling 9-1-1 after distancing themselves from the scene.”
According to police, Routt followed the fleeing eyewitness out the door and fired several shots at them.
According to WTMJ, authorities discovered methamphetamine on Routt during a traffic stop on February 5, 2024. He was then arrested. Routt allegedly told investigators while detained that he wanted to speak with someone about the Elkhorn homicides.
Routt admitted to killing a man and a woman at the Sports Page Barr and shooting at least two witnesses as they fled the scene, according to the report. He allegedly told police that he did it “more than likely for the money.”
In his confession, Routt stated that he pointed the firearm at Gina Weingart and told her to get on the ground, but that she “slapped the gun and it went off,” according to Milwaukee Fox affiliate WITI. He then allegedly claimed he shot Emerson Weingart, a man who frequently stayed at the bar with his wife when she worked late hours.
Routt approached and “took $120 to $140 from the open cash register,” police said. Then, realizing Emerson Weingart was still alive, Routt shot him again.
Routt told police that the following morning, he disposed of the weapon and ammunition in a trash can at the Handi-Mart in Lake Como, Wisconsin. Police later recovered a 9 mm handgun from the scene.
According to an obituary, the couple married less than a year after their wedding in June 2023. According to the tribute, they began dating in 2020 and eventually became inseparable.
