What did Thomas Routt Jr. do? Authorities identify suspect in Elkhorn bar shooting that left Wisconsin newlyweds dead

On Thursday, February 1, a double homicide took place at an Elkhorn pub, and following the investigation, cops found a person of interest, who has been identified as Thomas Routt Jr. The victims' identities—Gina Weingart, 37, and her husband, Emerson Weingart, 33—have also been made public by the police. It has further been revealed that the Weingarts were newly married.

Police have discovered that Routt has a lengthy criminal history. In August 2020, authorities released him on state parole. Meanwhile, according to Thomas Routt Jr.'s defense attorney, Russell Jones, he is innocent and wasn't involved in the brutal shooting that killed the couple.

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A fatal shooting took place at a sports bar in Elkhorn and killed a newlywed

Law enforcement officials have revealed that Thomas Routt Jr. has been detained for questioning in connection to the February 1 fatal shooting at Sports Page Barr in Elkhorn.

The fatal shooting killed two victims as well, and authorities are trying to discover what caused the shooting. Authorities have revealed that the victims were residents of Elkhorn. Meanwhile, Defense attorney Jones said:

"[Routt, 57] continues to maintain his innocence, and says he was not involved in the case."

Also, Routt had a lengthy criminal history and was released on parole in 2020. The same has been confirmed by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections records.

TMJ4 reported that authorities detained him at Walworth County Jail, primarily due to his parole status and lengthy criminal history. Authorities issued a statement on Tuesday, February 6, in which they said:

"Officials have been focusing efforts on an investigation lead that developed over the weekend which identified a person of interest."

No official charges have been filed against Routt as of now. However, according to his defense attorney, authorities are treating him as a suspect, even though he is officially a person of interest in the Elkhorn shooting case.

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Authorities have revealed the criminal history of the person of interest in detail

While a parole spreadsheet stated that the person of interest was paroled on a burglary offense, court records mentioned that he was convicted of arson as well. According to Wisconsin court records, he was also convicted of battery in 2008. As per court records:

"[Routt] was convicted of arson For the arson , he was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment, consecutive to two Waukesha County cases."

The records further added:

"For the forgery and bail jumping, Routt was sentenced to consecutive five-year terms of imprisonment, imposed and stayed for a consecutive ten-year probationary term on the forgery and a concurrent five-year probationary term on the bail jumping."

In the arson case, he was accused of setting his mother-in-law's house on fire. The case has been described as the "sickest, most dangerous kind[s] of arson." Police are currently investigating the double homicide that took place in the sports bar.

They have yet to determine the motive behind the fatal shooting. According to the family members, Gina was working part-time at the bar, and Emerson would spend time with her until the bar closed.