WHTEHALL, Wis. — A jury found a rural Melrose man guilty for the 2024 shooting death an unsuspecting motorist driving home between Galesville and Ettrick. Todd Gieck, age 63, claimed the death was accidental. The jury didn’t buy it. The verdict was returned in the third day of a trial scheduled for five days. Compelling evidence included a report by Gieck’s companion at the time that he was “amped up, perceived an insult from the passing motorist, gave chase, and shot the man through the car window. The victim, Kyle Dahl , 36, a family man from Ettrick, died within hours at a Trauma Level 1 hospital 30 miles away in LaCrosse. The jury found Gieck guilty on three counts:
> First-degree reckless homicide with a dangerous weapon.
> Discharge of a firearm at a vehicle
> Possession of a firearm by a felon.
Trempealeau County’s judge, Rian Radtke, delayed sentencing to August. Gieck could go to prison for 65 years. He then would be 138 years old.
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