BARRON COUNTY -- Homicide charges were filed Thursday in Barron County Circuit Court against Andrew Brunette, 25, of Rice Lake, WI, following the investigation into the death of Garrett Macone, 23, of Chetek, WI, on September 20, 2020.
According to the Criminal Complaint obtained and reviewed by DrydenWire.com that was filed against Brunette, the Barron County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call shortly before 1p on September 20, 2020, from a woman reporting that she had found her 23-year-old son deceased outside her residence in Chetek Township.
Detectives and Officers with the Barron County Sheriff’s Department responded to the residence and found the circumstances regarding the death to be suspicious, according to a criminal complaint filed in Barron County Circuit Court.
Injuries were found on the back of the deceased’s head, which appeared to be gunshot wounds. A large amount of blood spatter was located in the bedroom belonging to the deceased and evidence found on scene indicated that the death had occurred inside the residence, with the deceased being moved outside the residence afterward.
During the course of the investigation, Barron County Sheriff’s Detectives learned that the deceased had been involved in a romantic relationship with a female. Subsequent interviews revealed that this female was currently separated from Andrew Brunette.
Brunette was located by law enforcement in St. Paul, MN, and initially stated to authorities that he had remained in St. Paul the entire evening of the 19th, leaving only for a brief period of time to get some food.
Detectives engaged in further interviews and learned through statements of additional people connected to Brunette, that Brunette had not been entirely truthful regarding his activities and whereabouts, alleges the criminal complaint filed against him.
Brunette later returned to the residence where the death had occurred, while it was still an active crime scene, and after speaking with Deputies and Detectives on scene, was taken into custody based upon information discovered during the investigation.
The criminal complaint filed against Brunette goes on to state that after being transported to the Barron County Jail, Brunette ultimately stated that he had taken a 9mm handgun and extra clothes with him to the deceased’s residence; entered through an unlocked front door; located the deceased asleep in bed, and fired the handgun twice to ensure that death had occurred.
He then moved the deceased outside the residence with the intent of removing the body from the property to dispose of it. He used towels from the residence to wrap his own clothing and threw it away in a dumpster; he also threw the handgun into a creek.
Polk County law enforcement found the clothing in a dumpster in Clear Lake, WI according to the criminal complaint, and Barron County Sheriff’s Department officers found the handgun where Brunette stated he had thrown it.
A preliminary autopsy report lists the cause of death as gunshot wounds to the head.
Brunette made an initial appearance on September 24, 2020, regarding his charge of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. The Court placed Brunette on a $1,000,000 cash bond. He is scheduled to appear again later in September 2020.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Sep 25, 2020 11:23 am CDT
