Elkhorn shooting, newlywed couple killed; jury trial begins
Elkhorn fatal bar shooting, trial begins
The trial starts Monday, June 23, 2025, for the man accused of killing a newlywed couple in Elkhorn. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. - The trial starts Monday, June 23, 2025, for the man accused of killing a newlywed couple in Elkhorn.
If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Emerson and Gina Weingart killed
The backstory:
The deaths shocked the Elkhorn community in February 2024 inside the Sports Page Barr.
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Prosecutors charged Thomas Routt with killing newlyweds Emerson and Gina Weingart.
Gina and Emerson Weingart (Courtesy: Leland Weingart)
Gina was the bartender at the bar.
Prosecutors accuse Routt of also stealing more than $100 from the bar.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Thomas Routt's background
Dig deeper:
FOX6 dug into his background.
Routt spent nearly 25 years in prison for setting his ex-mother-in-law's home on fire in 1995.
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He received parole in 2020, and later enrolled at Gateway Technical College and won the honor of being the Elkhorn campus' ambassador, a student chosen to represent the campus.
Thomas Routt
During a speech, he said being molested as a child led him down a spiraling path, but prison helped him turn his life around. That was 2023.
Prosecutors charged him with two homicides as well as attempted homicide and armed robbery.
Jury selection kicks off his trial in Walworth County at 8:30 a.m.
The Source: FOX6 has previously reported on the shooting and covered the case as it progressed to trial.

