By Shereen Siewert
Trial dates have been set for a 45-year-old man accused in a May 15 fatal shooting on Wausau’s west side that left one person dead.
Michael L. Turner, of Wausau, faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia in a case filed May 21 in Marathon County Circuit Court. Turner is being held on a $1 million cash bond.
Wausau Police say the victim was parked on the road in the 1000 block of South Fifth Avenue at about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 15 when Turner allegedly drove up, got out of his vehicle and shot the alleged victim. During a court appearance in May, officials said the alleged victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and to the abdomen in the attack, then drove to the Tobacco Outlet on Third Avenue where he was discovered by employees. He remained in critical condition for about two weeks but died of his injuries.
Police say Turner then drove two blocks away and handed off the weapon to an accomplice. After his capture, Turner admitted to looking for the victim, finding the vehicle and shooting at him but then said “I don’t give a (expletive) what happened to the victim,” Puig said. Witnesses said Turner and the man he allegedly shot were not strangers.
Turner was captured in Marquette County about an hour after the shooting during a high-risk traffic stop and was transported to the Marathon County Jail. He was alone at the time of his arrest.
During a hearing this week, Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill set a motion hearing for June 24 with a 10-day trial set to begin Nov. 28.
