Wisconsin newlyweds who were shot dead in sports bar were killed for less than $150

The Wisconsin newlyweds shot dead at a sports bar were killed for less than $150, police have revealed.

Gina Weingart, 37, and Emerson Weingart, 33, were shot and killed Feb. 1 at the Sports Page Barr in downtown Elkhorn.

Thomas Routt Jr., 57, has been charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide after admitting to investigators that he fired his gun at the bar with plans to rob the business.

Police said he took about $120 to $140 from the cash drawer before fleeing home in his car.

A witness also reported seeing Routt in the bar playing video games for about 30 minutes before he “waved a gun and pointed it at Gina, the bartender,” police said.

Gina worked there as a bartender two nights a week and her husband regularly kept her company until late in the evening.

“The eyewitness said they instinctively got up from their bar stools and Routt pointed the gun at the eyewitness and ordered the eyewitness not to move,” police said.

According to the report, Routt then allegedly fired his gun as the eyewitness quickly left the establishment and called 911.

Routt was arrested Feb. 4 by the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office on a Department of Corrections warrant. At the time of his arrest, he was on parole for arson.

He will also face charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon, armed robbery and possession of a firearm, according to a news release.

The morning after he was arrested, Routt told police he had thrown the gun and ammunition in a trash can at a gas station on Lake Como. Authorities later recovered a 9mm handgun from that trash bin, police said.

The couple grew up in Wisconsin and married in June 2023, just months before the tragedy. Police have yet to confirm whether the couple was targeted or if it was a random attack.

At the time of the incident, Emerson’s father, Jeff Weingart, said police “better find” the suspect. He described hearing that his son had died in such a gruesome way as “heartbreaking.”

“Someone saw them,” he said WISN. ‘Someone saw them. I don’t care, you can’t pull off something like that. I can’t believe it was just her and him in the bar.’

Emerson was a Christian and “avid sportsman” who “practically learned to fish as soon as he could walk,” according to the couple’s joint obituary.

He grew up in Burlington and worked at Kroger as a meat department manager at Metro Market in Mukwonago.

Gina, from Milwaukee, was “a very social person and loved people.” She also had an “amazing” singing voice and was selected for a cruise ship dance group.

“When she walked into a room at the end of the day, she knew everyone. She had a beautiful smile that would light up a room,” their obituary reads.

“Gina and Emerson started dating in 2020 and became inseparable,” the tribute adds. “(They were) two of the most beautiful, kind-hearted and cheerful couples you could ever know.”

Routt appeared in court Friday when Emerson’s father called the suspect a monster. CBS 58 reported.

The suspect spoke only once when responding to the judge’s question about his attorney, while a public defender handled the remainder of the hearing.

His attorney Russell Jones told CBS 58 that Routt will plead not guilty and that neither he nor his client have seen evidence yet.

“It’s their summary of the case, it hasn’t been cross-examined, it’s not evidence,” Russell said.

Routt previously spent more than two decades in prison for arson and burglary convictions and was released on parole in 2020.

He is expected to appear in court again on Wednesday charged with the couple’s murder.

“Our families have been devastated by this senseless act of violence,” the heartbroken father said.

The bar has remained closed while police cordoned off the area as they continue to search for evidence. Devastated friends, relatives and locals left flowers, candles and photos of the couple nearby.

“From what we’ve seen here, there’s still a lot of love in this world,” Jeff said.