Beloit teen charged in Labor Day homicide to stand trial in 2023
MADISON, Wis. — A teen accused of killing a 19-year-old over Labor Day weekend last year will stand trial in early 2023, according to online court records.
Dante Wilson, 16, was arrested at Beloit Memorial High School in mid-September, just over a week after authorities found the 19-year-old victim’s body between two houses on the city’s near west side. Police said Wilson had a gun in his backpack at the time of his arrest.
Wilson, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, was later charged as an adult in Rock County court. He’s facing one count of first-degree intentional homicide, one count of possession of a firearm on school grounds and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
Court records updated Thursday indicate Wilson’s trial will start on Jan. 30, 2023 and run until Feb. 10. His final pre-trial conference is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2023.
The 16-year-old’s case had been delayed several times due to staffing issues within the regional public defender’s office in Rock County.
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Officials tried 16 individual times to appoint an attorney for Wilson after his previous one dropped out of the case; he was eventually appointed a new attorney in mid-July.
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