The man who fatally shot a married couple at an Elkhorn bar last year has been sentenced to life in prison.
Thomas Routt, 58, was sentenced in Walworth County Circuit Court on Sept. 26 to life in prison without the possibility of parole on two felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the deaths of Emerson and Gina Weingart at the Sports Page Barr, 29½ S. Wisconsin St., on Feb. 1, 2024, online court records showed.
In a June jury trial, Routt was found guilty on the two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, as well as four other felony counts: attempted first-degree homicide, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of methamphetamine, according to online court records.
On Feb. 1, 2024, Gina Weingart was working behind the bar while her husband, Emerson, and a female patron were also inside when Routt pulled a gun and told the three not to move. Routt told police Gina Weingart said she would call police if Routt didn’t put his gun away. Then Routt said Gina Weingart slapped the gun and it went off and struck her. Routt then took money out of the register, shot Emerson Weingart and followed and shot at the other patron as she fled the bar, the criminal complaint said.
After leaving the bar, Routt tried to get rid of the gun and ammunition at a gas station, which detectives later found in a nearby dumpster, the complaint said. Police arrested Routt three days after the shooting.
Due to his prior criminal history and having a felony conviction, Routt wasn’t allowed to possess firearms, online court records showed. He was also out on active community supervision at the time of the shooting.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man sentenced to life in prison for killing couple at Elkhorn bar in 2024