By: Associated Press//October 30, 2014//
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (AP) — The attorneys for a 55-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man accused of killing his daughter’s ex-boyfriend have rested their case after two days of witness testimony.
Joseph Reinwand is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the 2008 shooting death of 35-year-old Dale Meister. Reinwand decided not to take the stand Wednesday in his own defense, so his lawyers, David Dickmann and Troy Nielsen, ended their case with testimony from others.
Meister had previously told several people that he was afraid Reinwand would try to kill him, according to court documents. Meister and Reinwand’s daughter, Jolynn, were in the midst of a custody dispute over their child.
Reinwand’s sister, Darlene Reinwand-Lemay, was called to the stand Wednesday morning to testify about an argument she witnessed between Meister and Jolynn Reinwand, the Daily Tribune Media reported. She said she was also present during the hearing Jolynn Reinwand attended to seek a restraining order against Meister.
Mesiter’s neighbor, Christian Trejo, testified about activity he witnessed at the victim’s house several days before he was found dead. He said he saw Meister and a heavy-set man with white hair and a full beard talking loudly on Meister’s driveway. Trejo said the unidentified man drove a silver pickup truck that matched the description of Reinwand’s but had different taillights.
The defense attorneys called retired Wisconsin Rapids Police Detective Sgt. Phyllis Wesener to the stand to question her about an interview she conducted with Reinwand shortly after Meister’s death. She said Reinwand began saying he couldn’t remember things about half-way through the interview.
Wisconsin Rapids Police Detective Lt. Julie Buerger was questioned about a pistol and box authorities took as evidence from Reinwand-Lemay’s home. The defense said the Jennings .22-caliber pistol didn’t match the handgun used to kill Meister, which a firearms expert had previously testified was a Jennings model made between 1983 and 1985.
After closing arguments Thursday, Reinwand’s fate will be up to the jury.