'Suspect' in Wisconsin bar shooting makes 'emphatic' denial in newlywed killings: lawyer

close

Video

Police have person of interest in custody in newlywed couple's death

Emerson and Gina Weingart were gunned down on Thursday inside a sports bar in Elkhorn, WI. (Credit: FOX 6 Milwaukee)

A man being detained and questioned in a fatal bar shooting of two newlyweds "had no involvement" in their deaths, his lawyer said. 

Thomas Routt Jr. was handcuffed on Monday in connection with the homicides of Emerson and Gina Weingart, who were killed in a popular local watering hole called Sports Page Barr in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on Feb. 1.  

Prosecutors had not filed any charges against Routt, his lawyer, Russell Jones said, but they're treating him as a "suspect" in the Weingarts' murders, despite law enforcement's official statement calling him a "person of interest."

Jones visited his client Wednesday morning in Walmorth County jail and told Fox News Digital afterward that police are using a legal loophole to hold Routt Jr. for more than 72 hours.

PERSON OF INTEREST IN CUSTODY AFTER WISCONSIN NEWLYWEDS GUNNED DOWN IN BAR SHOOTING

Gina Weingart flashes her new engagement ring after Emerson Weingart proposed in October 2021. They were married last summer. (Emerson Weingart/Facebook)

Routt Jr. was "taken into custody on an unrelated matter," according to police's latest statement on Feb. 5, which didn't mention Routt Jr. by name. 

He's currently being held in Walworth County Jail on a corrections hold for violating an unspecified term of his parole, or supervision as it's known in Wisconsin, related to his previous criminal record that includes arson, burglary and forgery convictions.

EXCLUSIVE: MILITARY VET ‘CRAZY ED’ TAKES DOWN WOULD-BE THIEF ON VIDEO DAYS AFTER SAVING MAN'S LIFE

Jones said prosecutors haven't responded to his calls or emails about specifics of the corrections hold.  

The Walworth County District Attorney's Office didn't immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment, and police haven't released any other details other than a vague press release on Feb. 5. 

Police declined Fox News Digital's follow-up questions "to protect the integrity of the investigation." 

Gina and Emerson Weingart walking down the aisle during their June 2023 wedding. (Gina Weingart/Facebook)

Young lives taken ‘by act of a coward’

Gina worked at the bar, and the couple were regulars at a place they loved to hang out. It was the same place where they were gunned down shortly after midnight on Feb. 1, police said. 

The night they were killed, Gina was working when police said someone opened fire. Bullets ripped into the couple, and they were pronounced dead at the scene.

AMELIA EARHART PLANE CRASH: AIR FORCE VET IS ‘CERTAIN’ IMAGES ARE HISTORY'S MOST FASCINATING WRECK

The owner of the bar posted a heartfelt message on Facebook honoring the young couple and called the shooting "the act of a coward" and changed their photo to include Gina and Emerson surrounded by friends and family. 

"I want to talk about the two lives that were tragically taken from us too soon. Our bartender, Gina, and her husband Emerson, both dear friends of ours," the bar owner posted on Facebook. 

"Their lives were just beginning, and I believe I speak for our entire Sports Page family by saying we are absolutely devastated by what happened. It is a despicable act of violence that has shaken all of us to our core."

Emerson Weingart was "an avid" fisherman and shared his passion with his new wife, Gina. (Emerson Weingart/Facebook)

‘Inseparable’ even in death 

The couple's Facebook pages were filled with pictures of the two of them while enjoying a wide array of activities, including a lot of pictures at Lambeau Field taking in Green Bay Packers games. 

Emerson "was an avid sportsman and learned to fish practically as soon as he could walk," according to their joint obituary. "Fishing was his passion, and his wife Gina was his sidekick on many adventures, learning all his tricks. He was also a sports enthusiast, loving all the Wisconsin teams, especially the Packers."

MISSING WOMAN NICOLE BALDWIN'S SEARCH PARTY VOLUNTEER RAIDED BY POLICE: REPORT

Gina started dancing when she was 6 years old and continued as a cheerleader through high school and auditioned for a dance group that went on a cruise for a competition, the obit says.

"She loved karaoke and had a great voice. She enjoyed dancing and art," her obit says. "She was a very social person and loved people. When she walked into a room, by the end of the day, she would know everyone. She had a beautiful smile that would light up a room."

Law enforcement have not said what the motive might have been, or if Emerson and Gina were the intended targets. 

Emerson and Gina Weingart at Lambeau Field, home of their beloved NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. (Gina Weingart/Facebook)

Emerson and Gina Weingart were "inseparable" from the time they started dating in 2020. They were married in June 2023 and died in a bar shooting a week ago. (Emerson Weingart/Facebook)

A family member posted on Facebook that it was a "senseless bar robbery" that claimed their lives too early. 

"Emerson would go to the bar after work and hang around while Gina would work to support her as she would work late. They were only married for 9 months, married just this past summer," a cousin, Brittany Weingart, said in a Facebook post. 

Social media posts and comments poured in for the couple, who "became inseparable," since they first got together in 2020. 

"The fact I’m even having to type these words right now is absolutely devastating," one Facebook post from a local who knew the couple says. "I’m heartbroken beyond words and things in our little town and little sports page family will never be the same."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Anyone who may have information is asked to call the Walworth County Communications Center at 262-741-4400. 

You may also remain anonymous and contact Walworth County Crime Stoppers at 262-723-2677 or electronically by using P3 Tips (http://www.p3tips.com).