By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A 10-day jury trial has been scheduled in Dunn County Circuit Court next July for a 38-year-old man charged in connection with a homicide in the Town of Dunn last November.
Chad D. Turgeson appeared in Dunn County Circuit Court, along with his attorney, Michael Covey, before Judge James Peterson September 7 for a status hearing.
Turgeson is charged with one felony count of first degree intentional homicide with the modifiers of use of a dangerous weapon, as a repeat offender and as a party to a crime, and also is charged with one misdemeanor count of retail theft of less than $500 with the modifiers of being a repeat offender and as a party to a crime.
Ryan L. Steinhoff, age 38, and Ashley A. Gunder, age 25, also have been charged in connection with the death of Bruce E. McGuigan, age 37, of Hayward, at N2564 440th Street in the Town of Dunn November 17, 2020.
Steinhoff is scheduled for a three-week jury trial next June.
Gunder pleaded “no contest” to the charges August 20 before Judge Christina Mayer and was found guilty of first degree reckless homicide. She is scheduled to appear in Dunn County Circuit Court for a sentencing hearing on December 17 at 9 a.m.
At the September 7 hearing, Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf said she had received reports from the state crime lab and had sent transcripts of interviews to Covey, and that all together, she had mailed 469 pages to Covey.
Nodolf said she was meeting with law enforcement and that more evidence would be sent to the crime lab.
Covey told the court that he knew more evidence would be coming along that could affect any pre-trial motions he might make and that he would like to have a jury trial scheduled and on his calendar.
Covey said his calendar for next spring was already filling up because of “COVID-19 back-ups” and that he did not want to wait to schedule a trial for Turgeson.
“I do not want the trial in 2023, and Chad does not want the trial in 2023,” Covey said.
With the number of trials already on his calendar, Covey said he did not want to “squeeze in” Turgeson’s trial so that he was jumping from trial to trial with inadequate time to prepare.
A jury trial for Turgeson was subsequently scheduled in Dunn County Circuit Court next July.
According to the criminal complaint, George Welch told investigators that while he had been in town, four people had broken into his house. Welch said he knew two of the people. One was “Chad” — later identified as Chad Turgeson — and “Little Red,” identified as Ashley Gunder. Welch said he did not know another individual, who seemed to be in charge, and that he also did not know the victim.
Welch said he was told not to go to the bedroom because someone was being “schooled” and that he had heard noises coming from the bedroom.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on the deceased, and the pathologist determined the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Judge Peterson set a cash bail of $500,000 for each of the suspects on November 25, 2020.
