George Paul is accused of killing Susan Paul before firing at a police department.
BARABOO, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge has ordered a competency evaluation for George Paul, an 80-year-old Prairie du Sac man accused of fatally shooting his wife at a nature preserve and later firing into a police department entrance.
The order brings a key procedural issue into a case that began May 8 with the death of Susan Paul, 80, at Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve. Paul faces a first-degree intentional homicide charge, six related counts and a $1 million cash bond. The evaluation is expected to help the court decide whether he can understand the case and assist his attorney.
The competency issue grew from statements and history described in reported complaint details, not from the sheriff’s first public account alone. After his arrest, investigators said Paul claimed his wife was a “creature” who had posed as Susan Paul for 55 years. He allegedly said similar creatures were spreading and that he shot at the Sauk Prairie Police Department to get officers’ attention. Police staff also told investigators they knew Paul from prior contacts, including calls that caused concern. They believed he had dementia and was supposed to be receiving services, according to accounts of the complaint. Those facts do not decide the criminal case, but they explain why competency became an early courtroom question.
Wisconsin criminal cases can pause for a competency review when the court has reason to question whether a defendant understands the proceedings or can help with a defense. The review is separate from the question of whether a defendant committed the charged acts. In Paul’s case, the charges remain in place while the evaluation moves forward. The public record shows no final resolution of competency and no completed trial. The next listed court date is a July 14 status conference. That hearing could address the evaluation, scheduling or other pretrial issues. It could also set the path for motions, further hearings or a later plea if the case proceeds normally.
The underlying allegations remain severe. Deputies say the first report came at 2:08 p.m. from Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve on County Road W in the Township of Baraboo. Multiple callers reported that a man pulled a woman from a vehicle, shot her multiple times and fled toward Baraboo. Deputies arrived at 2:12 p.m. and found Susan Paul dead from close-range gunshot wounds in the parking lot. The sheriff’s office later identified Susan Paul as the victim and George Paul as the suspect. Both were 80 and from Prairie du Sac. Captain Matt Burch said the investigation remained active and ongoing when the names were released.
Authorities then connected the homicide scene to a second burst of gunfire at a police building. At 3:10 p.m., a man in a Kia Carnival minivan drove into the Sauk Prairie Police Department lot, got out and fired several shots into the front door and vestibule, according to the sheriff’s office. The building was struck several times. No staff members were injured. At 3:11 p.m., officers stopped the minivan as it left the department and took the driver into custody without incident. Investigators said evidence gathered at both scenes and inside the vehicle showed the man and minivan were the same ones tied to the earlier shooting at Pewitt’s Nest.
The criminal complaint, as described in news reports, added that investigators found a handgun, a purse and blood inside the minivan. Those details are important because they speak to the path prosecutors say the suspect took from the nature preserve to the police department. The complaint also said Paul admitted killing his wife. It said he appeared upbeat during questioning and identified himself as a retired police officer. Authorities have not publicly released all interview recordings or the full investigative file. The public record so far comes from the sheriff’s statement, court activity and summaries of complaint allegations.
Prosecutors charged Paul with first-degree intentional homicide with domestic abuse and dangerous weapon modifiers. He also faces intentionally pointing a firearm at a person, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon modifier, endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm, criminal damage to property with a dangerous weapon modifier and discharging a firearm within 100 yards of a building. The charge list reflects two parts of the alleged conduct: the killing of Susan Paul and the later gunfire at the police station. It also reflects the risk prosecutors say was created for witnesses, officers and police staff.
The bond arguments showed how the case may be framed as it moves forward. Prosecutors asked for $10 million cash bond. Paul’s attorney argued for $500,000. The court set $1 million cash. That decision came before the competency process is complete, leaving Paul in the Sauk County Jail while the court waits for the next procedural step. A high bond in a homicide case does not prove guilt. It sets conditions for release and weighs risk, allegations, public safety and court appearance concerns. The competency review adds another layer because the case cannot move toward trial in the usual way unless the defendant is found competent.
For Susan Paul’s family and the Sauk County community, the court process now runs beside the facts of a public killing. The sheriff’s office said the homicide occurred in a parking lot at a nature preserve, not inside a home. Witnesses saw enough to call dispatchers and describe both the shooting and the vehicle’s direction of travel. Less than an hour later, police staff at Sauk Prairie heard shots strike their own building. No staff member was hurt, but the gunfire brought the same case to the doorstep of law enforcement. Officials later said there was no continuing threat to the community after the arrest.
What remains unresolved is large. The court has not determined Paul’s competency. The public record has not answered what happened before the couple arrived at Pewitt’s Nest. Prosecutors have not yet presented the full evidence in open court. The defense has not fully laid out its theory. The case therefore sits at an early stage, with the facts alleged by authorities on one side and a competency question on the other.
George Paul remains jailed in Sauk County as the evaluation proceeds. The July 14 status conference is the next known milestone in the homicide case.
Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.