WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ) – A teenager charged in the beating death of a man left along the side of a road is pleading not guilty.
On Tuesday, Zachary Hohn entered that plea to charges of first-degree intentional homicide and robbery for the April 11 murder of Matthew Pagel. Hohn turns 17 on Wednesday.
Another suspect, 24-year-old Adam Ozuna, has also pleaded not guilty to the same counts.
Both suspects are due back in court for a scheduling conference on November 22. No trial dates have been set.
According to the criminal complaint, Ozuna and Hohn picked up Pagel from a Clintonville motel where he was living. Pagel allegedly was looking to buy the drug Adderall and had been exchanging text messages with both of them.
Prosecutors say Ozuna and Hohn offered to drive Pagel to get some Adderall, but instead beat him to death in the car and robbed him. They stole $200 and Pagel’s jacket.
Officials say they used a car belonging to the mother of Hohn’s girlfriend, who also lives with Ozuna. When they returned to the home, they were allegedly covered in blood and told Hohn’s girlfriend about the incident. Her mom eventually found Pagel’s body in a ditch southeast of Clintonville and called 911 around 2:30 a.m.
Last week, a judge denied Hohn’s request to have the case transferred to juvenile court. In Wisconsin, children ages 10 to 16 charged with homicide or attempted homicide are automatically charged in adult court.
