Man charged in Sparta homicide case pleads not guilty

SPARTA, Wis. (WEAU) - A man accused of attacking three people with an ax and killing one person in June is pleading not guilty.

On Friday, 37-year-old Thomas Aspseter entered a plea of not guilty to five charges, including one count of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of aggravated battery with intention to cause great bodily harm with the use of a dangerous weapon, which are all felony charges.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Aspseter attacked 87-year-old Bernard Waite, 76-year-old Michael Waite, and 73-year-old Margaret Waite with an ax at a home in the Town of Sparta on June 6, killing Bernard Waite.

Aspseter is being held on a cash bond of $1 million with several conditions, including no contact with the others involved in the incident, at the Monroe County Jail. Aspseter will have a pretrial conference on October 4 and another court appearance on December 15.