ELKHORN, Wis. — Thomas Routt was sentenced to life in prison on Friday without the possibility of parole for killing newlywed couple Gina and Emerson Weingart at an Elkhorn bar.
Routt shot and killed the couple on Feb. 1 of last year at the Sports Page Bar. In June, a jury found Routt guilty of two counts of intentional homicide, one count of attempted homicide, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of methamphetamine.
Before his sentencing on Friday, Routt heard gut-wrenching testimony from the victims’ families.
Watch: Man convicted of murdering newlywed couple at Elkhorn bar to be sentenced Friday
“I want you to know the heartbreak of losing all your loved ones and not being able to be there with them as we are not able to be with Emerson and Gina when you took their lives,” a family member said.
Judge Kristine E. Drettwan addressed the emotional impact of the victim statements during sentencing.
“You slaughtered — there’s no other word — Gina and Emerson, for nothing. Not that there would ever be a reason to do it. They were just beginning life’s adventure. You took it for nothing,” Drettwan said.
The victims’ families called the shooting a senseless tragedy. Routt told investigators he was trying to rob the bar.
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