WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WSAU-WAOW) A 21-year-old man who has already been convicted in a 2015 murder, has reached a plea deal instead of opting for a new trial after claiming to be mentally ill.
Grant Oertel was found mentally incompetent in March, 2018. His attorney said his client's "performance was deficient" during an evaluation. He was going to be granted a court hearing to see if his earlier conviction would be overturned. Instead on-line court records say Oertel has reached an agreement with prosecutors to avoid trial.
Oertel was convicted by a jury in 2016 in the murder of Theresa Coates of Wisconsin Rapids in August, 2015. Coates was the mother of his girlfriend. The shooting happened after the girlfriend had ended the relationship. Coates shot himself in the face immediately after.
He was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The terms of the plea deal will be revealed in Wood County court on February 2nd. A sentencing hearing has also been scheduled for April 17th.
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