By Shereen Siewert
A Weston man accused of shooting his friend in the head after a night of heavy drinking left without calling for help or trying to save his life, according to court documents filed Thursday in Marathon County Circuit Court.
David Anselmo, 19, faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the June 7 shooting death of Troy Wilcox. In addition to the felony charge, Anselmo is also facing a misdemeanor charge of operating a firearm while intoxicated. Circuit Judge LaMont Jacobson ordered Ansemo jailed on a $500,000 bond during a June 11 probable cause hearing, while official charges were filed June 13.
According to the criminal complaint, obtained by Wausau Pilot and Review, police were called at 3:07 p.m. June 7 to a home in the 300 block of North Second Avenue for a report of a man who died of a gunshot wound. When officers arrived, they discovered Wilcox, 19, lying on his bed with his head resting against a wall with a gunshot wound above his left eyebrow.
In an initial interview, Anselmo allegedly confirmed he and Wilcox had been together drinking at the home but told police Wilcox was alive when Anselmo left. A video posted to Facebook and shared with Wausau Pilot and Review appears to show Wilcox and Anselmo drinking and playing beer pong together at about 4 a.m. with no one else in the room.
Later in the interview, Anselmo said the two were drinking and playing cards while passing Wilcox’s firearm back and forth, according to the complaint. Wilcox passed the gun to Anselmo, who removed the magazine from the firearm before handing it back and leaving for the bathroom.
After returning from the bathroom, Anselmo picked up the gun from the bed, checked to see if a round was in the chamber, pulled the slide back and accidentally pulled the trigger, according to statements he allegedly made to police. After realizing the bullet had struck his friend in the head, Anselmo left the room without performing any lifesaving measures and without seeking assistance, the complaint states.
Friends and family members have set up an online fundraiser to help Wilcox’s family pay for funeral expenses. Find the fundraiser information here. A fundraising event is also set for Sunday. Find details here.
Anselmo, who is on extended supervision for a crime committed in Florida, faces up to 60 years in the Wisconsin State Prison system if he is convicted on the homicide charge alone. He remains in the Marathon County Jail as of Thursday, June 13.
