WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ) – A Waupaca County judge has ruled a teen charged with murder will remain in adult court.
Prosecutors say 16-year-old Zachary Hohn beat 25-year-old Matthew Pagel to death, then left his body along the side of a road.
Children ages 10 to 16 charged with homicide or attempted homicide are automatically charged in adult court in Wisconsin. However, the defense can request to have the case moved to juvenile court.
That’s what Hohn’s attorney did, but after testimony Tuesday, Judge Raymond Huber ruled the case will remain in adult court.
Court records indicate that Hohn will be arraigned on October 25, just a day before his 17th birthday. If convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, Hohn is automatically sentenced to life in prison. He’s also charged with robbery.
A second suspect, 24-year-old Adam Ozuna, also returns to court October 25 for a status conference. Ozuna previously pled not guilty and a trial date has not been set.
According to the criminal complaint, Ozuna and Hohn allegedly picked Pagel up from a motel in Clintonville where he was living. Pagel was looking to buy the drug Adderall and had been exchanging text messages with Ozuna and Hohn, according to prosecutors.
Ozuna and Hohn offered to drive Pagel to get some Adderall, but instead beat him to death in the car and robbed him. They ended up with $200 and Pagel’s jacket.
Prosecutors say the used a car belonging to the mother of Hohn’s girlfriend, who also lives with Ozuna. When the two returned, they were covered in blood and told Hohn’s girlfriend about the beating.
Her mother eventually found Pagel’s body in a ditch southeast of Clintonville and called 911 around 2:30 a.m.
