Wisconsin bar shooting: Person of interest’s attorney speaks out
- Gina and Emerson Weingart found dead at a Wisconsin sports bar on Feb. 1
- A person of interest was taken into custody on an unrelated matter
- Attorney: Client maintains innocence; urges public against passing judgment
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(NewsNation) — The attorney representing the person of interest who was taken into custody in connection with the shooting deaths of a bartender and her husband inside a southern Wisconsin sports bar asserts his client maintains innocence and denies involvement in the matter.
Police have not yet officially identified the person of interest in this case. However, NewsNation spoke with attorney Russell Jones who revealed that he chose to publicly name his client due to the significant volume of calls and media attention his family has received.
Additionally, Jones mentioned that he has not yet heard his client’s perspective on the matter, but intends to meet face-to-face with him on Wednesday.
Jones emphasized his client, 57-year-old Thomas Routt Jr., should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“He does maintain that he has no part of this, and I want that clear. I also want anyone who’s listening or viewing to keep an open mind with respect to that the assumption is just because somebody has been arrested does not mean they’re guilty,” Jones said.
Jones also confirmed that Routt was taken into custody Sunday. It was in connection with the deaths of 37-year-old Gina Weingart and 33-year-old Emerson Weingart.
The person of interest was taken into custody on an unrelated matter, the Elkhorn Police Department said.
According to court records, Routt has a significant criminal history in Wisconsin. However, Jones emphasized this history should not be used against his client in this current case. He urged the public to avoid prematurely passing judgment.
Gina Weingart, who was a bartender at Sports Page Barr in Elkhorn, was at the bar with her husband on the night of Feb. 1. The Walworth County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of shots fired at the bar around 12:10 a.m. When officers arrived, they found the couple dead.
The owner of the bar, Jordan Barr, said Gina Weingart was hired as a bartender after she and her husband had become regular customers.
Relatives said the couple had recently gotten married and Emerson Weingart would often visit the bar to keep his wife company when she closed.
Police have not released a motive; they’re calling it an open investigation.
