Ashwaubenon Man Charged with Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide

Ashwaubenon Man Charged with 1st Degree Attempted Homicide

June 17, 2020 - Ashwaubenon, WI - On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, twenty-year-old Ethan Zeutzius was arrested and booked into the Brown County Jail on charges of Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide.

According to the criminal complaint, at 2:48 pm, Ashwaubenon officers were called to the 1100 block of Cormier Rd for a weapons call. 

The victim was a worker who was hired to fix the latch on the back door of the building with his co-worker. While working on fixing the door, the victim noticed an unknown male standing at the top of the stairs. When he looked, he saw the male had a knife in his right hand and what looked like a possible knife in his left hand, but it may have been a vape pen. Ethan asked the victim what he was doing. The victim advised they were there to fix the door. 

The victim then asked Zeutzius what he was doing. The suspect then reportedly lunged down the stairs at the victim with the knife, holding it over his head. He then allegedly swung the knife at his head. According to the victim statement in the criminal complaint, the victim grabbed the suspect's arm to stop it and ended up stopping him approximately one foot from his face. The victim stated he then threw the male to the ground and ran outside to his work truck. The victim sustained injuries to his right knee and left elbow in the incident when falling to the ground. He then got up and ran out the front door to his work van in the parking lot with his co-worker.

The victim advised police that he did not know the suspect and had never seen him prior to this incident. The victim stated that he felt Zeutzius was going to kill him or anyone that got in his way.

When officers arrived on scene, Ethan allegedly waved knife at the officers and refused to comply with commands that he drop the weapon and lie down on the ground. The suspect continued to yell and pace with the knife.

At one point, Zeutzius did drop the knife into the grass and was given verbal instructions to move away from it. After dropping the knife, he reportedly ran back to it, picking it up again. Officers once again instructed him to drop the knife, but he refused and continued to yell. 

Officers were finally able to convince Zeutzius to drop and move away from the knife. At this point, he ran from the officers who pursued him through the parking lot. 

One of the officers was able to get the defendant to sit at a picnic table so they could talk. While at the picnic table, Zeutzius allegedly kept staring at the officer's gun in his holster. The officer told him to not look at their gun. At this point, Ethan reportedly ran from the officers again. Officers were able to grab him and direct him to the ground and placed him in handcuffs. The knife was located near the corner of Cormier Rd & Canter Ln.

According to an investigator, the victim was shaken up and believed he was going to die. The investigator stated that based on the size of the knife, if the victim did not stop the suspect's arm, he would have been struck in the face with the knife and would have likely died from the injuries sustained.

Zeutzius had his Initial Appearance in court today and the victim also gave a victim impact statement. The state requested a $15,000 cash bond because of the flight risk due to the amount of prison time the suspect is facing. The defense requested a $2,000 cash bond. The victim stated that he felt it is more appropriate for the higher cash bond to ensure that the suspect appears in court and is not able to be in public to harm others.

During the court appearance, Commissioner Paul Burke stated that this victim is young, at only 20 years old and "The criminal complaint and this case are very bizarre and there is no clear motive to why Ethan attempted to stab the victim." Zeutzius was given a $15,000 cash bond, and ordered no contact with the victim. If he is able to post bond, he will be required to report to Criminal Justice Services within 24 hours of his release and wear a pharma patch. 

Ethan Zeutzius is expected back in court on July 8, 2020.