George Paul was found competent to proceed before a mental-disease-or-defect plea was entered in the pending homicide case.
BARABOO, Wis. — A Wisconsin homicide prosecution marked for months by questions about an 80-year-old defendant’s cognitive health has moved into a new phase after George Paul was found competent to proceed and later entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
The two court developments frame the central legal posture of the case involving the May 8 death of Paul’s wife, Susan Paul. His competency had been questioned soon after his arrest, when his lawyer raised concerns about degenerative illness and court records led to an evaluation. A judge ultimately found him competent in late September. On Oct. 28, Paul waived a preliminary hearing and the mental-disease-or-defect plea was entered on his behalf, according to court records cited by WMTV. The charges remain pending, and the available reporting does not identify a trial date.
The competency issue emerged during Paul’s first week in court. WMTV reported that the criminal complaint said Paul told investigators he was “two years into” what he described as an Alzheimer’s journey. At a bond proceeding, his attorney told the court that Paul suffered from significant degenerative conditions and raised questions about his ability to manage his financial affairs. Judge Blake Duren ordered a competency examination rather than simply allowing the prosecution to move ahead on its original timetable.
That examination concerned Paul’s ability to participate in the court process while facing some of Wisconsin’s most serious criminal allegations. The case itself centers on first-degree intentional homicide and six additional counts. Local court reporting lists charges of intentionally pointing a firearm at a person, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, reckless use of a firearm, criminal damage to property and discharging a firearm within 100 yards of a building. Paul has not been convicted of any of them.
At the same early bond hearing, the prosecution asked for $10 million cash, while the defense proposed $500,000. Duren set cash bond at $1 million. The judge referred to the severity of the homicide allegation while acknowledging reports that Paul might have Alzheimer’s disease or another late-life degenerative brain disorder. If released, Paul was barred from leaving Wisconsin and from having access to dangerous weapons. The evaluation then became one of the major procedural questions hanging over the case through the summer.
The court ultimately found Paul competent in late September, according to records reported by WMTV and other Wisconsin outlets. That decision allowed the prosecution to continue after the period of examination. It did not establish whether Paul committed the charged crimes, nor did it determine the ultimate significance of his reported mental condition. The later plea shows that questions involving his mental health remained part of the defense even after the competency issue no longer prevented the case from moving forward.
Behind those proceedings is a homicide investigation that began with several witnesses calling authorities from Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve in the Township of Baraboo. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said dispatchers began receiving reports at 2:08 p.m. May 8 that a man had pulled a woman from a vehicle, shot her several times and fled in a vehicle toward Baraboo. Deputies reached the scene at 2:12 p.m. and found the woman dead in the preserve parking lot. Authorities identified her as 80-year-old Susan Paul of Prairie du Sac.
About an hour later, the investigation expanded to a second shooting. At 3:10 p.m., authorities said a man in a Kia Carnival minivan drove into the Sauk Prairie Police Department parking lot, stepped outside and fired several shots into the building’s front door and vestibule. No staff members were injured. Police located the vehicle leaving the area at 3:11 p.m., stopped it and took the driver into custody. The sheriff’s office said evidence from the scenes and vehicle established that the same suspect and minivan were connected to both incidents.
Police identified the driver as George Paul, Susan’s husband. Reports based on the criminal complaint say he acknowledged shooting his wife and then made statements that investigators described as conspiratorial. He allegedly claimed Susan was a “creature” who had been posing as his wife for decades and asserted that similar beings were increasing in number and trying to take control. He also allegedly said he fired at the police department because he wanted to draw officers’ attention. Those claims are attributed to investigators and court documents and have not been tested at trial.
Other reported statements point to a combination of beliefs that investigators documented after the arrest. The complaint said Paul believed Susan had tried to involve him in a financial scam, according to local reporting. Officers allegedly found a pistol, a purse and blood in the minivan. The public record available through news reports does not establish how prosecutors will present each item of physical evidence or what testimony will be offered if the case reaches trial.
The Sept. 30 reporting that Paul had been found competent initially appeared to place the case on a more conventional path toward a preliminary hearing. Law&Crime and local outlets reported an Oct. 15 court date. By Oct. 28, however, WMTV reported that Paul appeared in Sauk County court, waived his preliminary hearing and had the mental-disease-or-defect plea entered. That sequence makes the mental-health component of the case more than an early procedural delay; it remains part of the defense position after the court concluded Paul could continue through the prosecution.
Susan Paul’s obituary describes a life built around education, family, outdoor activities and community service. Born in Green Bay in 1946, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and earned a bachelor’s degree in education. She met George there, and they married in August 1968. The couple moved to Japan during his military service, and Susan taught at the American School in Japan before they returned to the United States and eventually settled in Wisconsin.
She later worked in the Madison Public School District, pursued a master’s degree in special education and spent 17 years working at Central Wisconsin Center. Retirement brought more travel, hiking, kayaking and fitness instruction, according to the obituary. After moving back to Wisconsin to be near grandchildren, she became involved in Meals on Wheels, hospital volunteering, local clubs and outdoor groups. Her family said she maintained close friendships throughout her life and remained deeply involved in the activities of her children and grandchildren.
Paul’s case remains pending. The competency determination removed one obstacle to continued prosecution, while the Oct. 28 plea established the defense position now before the court. No verdict has been reached, and the sources reviewed for this report did not provide a trial date as of Nov. 10.
Author note: Last updated November 10, 2026.