Wisconsin Supreme Court denies petition for review by Colten Treu’s lawyer

MADISON, Wis. (WEAU) - The man sentenced to more than five decades in prison for killing four people in a hit-and-run in 2018 is denied a petition for review by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Colten Treu’s lawyer filed the motion in August seeking to reverse a Court of Appeals decision that denied his request to withdraw his pleas in the case.

Treu pleaded guilty and no contest in December 2019 and was sentenced in March 2020 to 54 years in prison. Treu wanted to have his trial moved out of Chippewa County but was denied. Treu filed a motion with the Court of Appeals, saying he didn’t know making the pleas would forfeit his right to appeal change of venue. The Appeals Court said Treu’s attorneys had no duty to tell him about the guilty plea waiver rule.

The decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court was filed on Wednesday.

On Thursday, a nearly month-long trial was scheduled in a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims of the hit-and-run. Madalyn Zwiefelhofer’s family filed the suit in 2021 in Chippewa County against Treu, as well as some insurance companies and several other businesses. In court documents, the family says Madalyn has permanent injuries from the crash, which have created medical expenses and lost wages. It does not specify the amount of money the family is asking for. The trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 20, 2024 and end on March 15.