Complaint: Man asked ‘God for forgiveness’ after shooting, killing friend he thought stole his gun

Site staff by Site Contributor

Dodge County Sheriff's Office Nigel Schultz

Rebecca Wolc Dodge County Sheriff's Office

Dodge County Sheriff's Office Nigel Schultz and Rebecca Wolc





The man accused of shooting a 36-year-old Beaver Dam man to death in late October told police he did it because he thought the man had stolen from him and was going to go to the police, according to a court document.

Bradlee H. Gerke’s body was found on a property in the town of Lebanon on Oct. 31. A resident at the home on Red Wing Road had called the police to report a possible body.

At the time the body was discovered, the sheriff’s office didn’t reveal many details about the incident, but a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Dodge County court revealed more details about how Gerke may have been killed and why.

Nigel R. Schultz, 20, of Portage, is being charged with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and theft from a corpse in Gerke’s death.

According to the complaint, Schultz and Gerke were friends, and Schultz had given Gerke a gun. But Schultz became suspicious of Gerke after Gerke said the gun had gone missing.

Schultz initially told police that he had only heard the gunshots on Oct. 28, the complaint said. But he later reportedly admitted during a police interview that he shot Gerke.

Schlutz told detectivest that he, Gerke and his girlfriend, 32-year-old Rebecca A. Wolc, had gone to the Redwing Road property. Schultz said he told the other two they were just going to the farm where he sometimes stayed to shoot guns. He said he also told Gerke he would give him another gun. But Schultz said he planned to shoot Gerke “because I thought he was snitching and stealing.”

Schultz told police as he and Gerke started shooting guns, he shot Gerke once in the head and multiple times in the chest, according to the complaint. The coroner said Gerke was shot 10 times in the head, six times in the chest and once in the arm. Schultz said Wolc didn’t know he planned to shoot Gerke and that she had no part in the killing.

Schultz told police that right after he shot Gerke, he “asked God for forgiveness.” Schultz said he used a tractor to try to put Gerke’s body in a burn barrel, but he missed. So he burned Gerke’s hat and shoes and buried the body in a shallow grave on the property.

Schultz said an acquaintance helped him bury the body, and he later told her not to tell anyone, according to the complaint.

Wolc is charged with felony harboring or aiding a felon in connection with the case. Deputies said Wolc lied about Schultz being at her Beaver Dam home when they came to arrest him on a parole hold Oct. 31. Schultz came out shortly after Wolc told officers he wasn’t there.

According to an obituary, Gerke is the father of three children and is survived by his parents and siblings.

Schultz is also facing two felony counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Get your weather forecast from people who actually live in your community. We update with short, easy-to-use video forecasts you can watch on your phone every day. Download the iOS or Android app here.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.