Dunn County jury rejects Steinhoff’s insanity plea in Town of Dunn homicide
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A Dunn County jury has rejected a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect made by Ryan L. Steinhoff for the murder of Bruce McGuigan at a Town of Dunn residence in November of 2020.
The jury rejected Steinhoff’s plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect after about two hours of deliberation November 29 following one day of testimony on November 28, according to online court records.
Steinhoff, age 39, was charged with first degree intentional homicide with the modifiers of as a party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon and as a repeat offender as well as two felony counts of bail jumping as a repeat offender and one misdemeanor count of retail theft of less than $500 as a party to a crime and as a repeat offender.
Jury selection in the first phase of the Steinhoff trial began November 14, and the jury delivered a verdict of guilty on all counts November 22 following two hours of deliberation.
Steinhoff pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect on March 14, 2022.
Section 971.15 of the Wisconsin Statutes defines not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, which is also referred to as “NGI.”
In the case of a trial where a defendant has pleaded NGI, the prosecution must prove the person is guilty of the crime, and it is then up to the defendant to convince the jury that he or she is not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
At the start of November 28 hearing, Steinhoff’s attorney, Matthew Krische, told the court that the plea of NGI only would apply to the homicide and to the two felony bail jumping charges and would be withdrawn on the count of misdemeanor retail theft of less than $500.
After the jury rejected the plea of NGI, Judge James Peterson, who presided over the Steinhoff trial, ordered a pre-sentence investigation and that the PSI report be filed by February 13, 2023.
A sentencing hearing for Steinhoff is scheduled in Dunn County Circuit Court on February 27, 2023.
Chad D. Turgeson, age 39, and Ashley A. Gunder, age 25, also were charged with McGuigan’s murder.
Turgeson was found not guilty by a Dunn County jury in July of this year, and Judge Peterson dismissed the count of first-degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime related to the death of McGuigan, age 37, of Hayward, at N2564 440th Street in the Town of Dunn November 17, 2020.
Gunder pleaded “no contest” and was found guilty of first degree reckless homicide and sentenced by Dunn County Circuit Court Judge Christina Mayer in December of 2021 to 25 years of initial confinement in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.
Bail was set at $500,000 cash for Steinhoff on November 30, 2020.
The original case against Steinhoff before Judge Mayer was dismissed in March of this year and was refiled and assigned to Judge Peterson.
