August 19, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.
Mason Street shooting suspect appears in court
Preliminary hearing scheduled
Mason Street shooting suspect appears in court
Alsteens made an appearance in Oneida County Circuit Court Monday afternoon with his new attorney, Mary Hogan. Reading of the criminal complaint was waived and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 28. There was no argument to modify the $50,000 cash bond Judge Patrick O'Melia set last week.
Alsteens is facing four criminal charges - among them three different felonies - in connection with a shooting that occurred at 645 Mason Street the night of Aug. 12.
The criminal complaint alleges Alsteens shot his uncle, Justin F. Alsteens, 49, in the stomach with a 7mm rifle in the home then fled the scene. Officers responded to reports of the shooting at approximately 7:45 p.m.
There were two other people in the house when the shooting took place, in addition to the victim and the suspect, according to investigators. Justin Alsteens was transported to Ministry St. Mary's Hospital and later airlifted to St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. Most recent reports had him still at the hospital listed in critical condition.
Marcus Alsteens was taken into custody by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office the night of the shooting on Wisconsin Highway 17, near Eagle River.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
According to an interview a Rhinelander Police Department detective conducted with Alsteens the day after the incident, the defendant said he had been living at the Mason Street residence with his uncle.
He provided vague answers about what he and his uncle had been arguing about prior to the shooting. According to the complaint, Alsteens retrieved a rifle from a cabinet in his bedroom, went into the room his uncle was in and shot him. When the detective asked Alsteens what he was thinking about when he went to go get the gun, Alsteens responded, "I was just really pissed off at that time."
During the interview, Alsteens referenced household chores as one of the things he and his uncle had argued about and said there had been periodic arguments between them for several months.
The formal charges against Alsteens are felony counts of attempted first degree intentional homicide, aggravated battery, injury by negligent use of a weapon and a misdemeanor count of negligent handling of a weapon.
If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to nearly 80 years in the state prison system.
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
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