Deputies say the suspect later fired at a police station before officers stopped his minivan.

BARABOO, Wis. — An 80-year-old Prairie du Sac man is charged with killing his wife at Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve, where witnesses told deputies they saw a woman pulled from a vehicle and shot in the parking lot on May 8.

George Paul faces first-degree intentional homicide in the death of Susan Paul, 80, also of Prairie du Sac, along with six other counts tied to the killing and later gunfire at the Sauk Prairie Police Department. The case now moves through Sauk County court with a $1 million cash bond, a competency review and a status conference set for July 14.

The first call came into the Sauk County Dispatch Center at 2:08 p.m. from Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve on County Road W in the Township of Baraboo. Multiple callers reported seeing a man pull a woman from a vehicle, shoot her more than once and flee toward Baraboo. Captain Matt Burch of the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said deputies reached the preserve at 2:12 p.m. and found the woman dead from multiple close-range gunshot wounds. Deputies soon identified her as Susan Paul and began airing a general description of the suspect and vehicle to responding officers. The shooting unfolded at a public natural area known for wooded paths, rock formations and a narrow gorge, turning a routine Friday afternoon at the preserve into a homicide investigation.

Less than an hour after deputies arrived at the preserve, authorities say the same suspect vehicle appeared at a second scene. At 3:10 p.m., dispatchers received a report that a man had driven into the parking lot of the Sauk Prairie Police Department in a Kia Carnival minivan. The man got out and fired several shots into the front door and vestibule of the department, according to the sheriff’s office. The building was struck several times, but no staff members were hurt. One minute later, Sauk Prairie police officers saw the minivan leaving the police department and stopped it. Officers arrested the driver without incident. Investigators later said evidence found at the nature preserve, at the police department and inside the vehicle tied the same man and minivan to both shootings.

Court and complaint details reported after the arrest added a new layer to the case. Investigators said George Paul admitted shooting his wife and made statements claiming Susan Paul was a “creature” who had been posing as his wife for 55 years. He also allegedly spoke about a broader belief that such creatures were growing in number and trying to take over the world. According to accounts of the complaint, Paul told detectives that he fired at the police department because he wanted officers to pay attention. The complaint also said police knew him from earlier contacts and that staff believed he had dementia and was supposed to be receiving services. Authorities have not said that any medical finding has been made in the criminal case, and the court has ordered a competency evaluation.

The charges filed against Paul cover both the killing and the later gunfire at the police building. He is charged with first-degree intentional homicide with domestic abuse and dangerous weapon modifiers, intentionally pointing a firearm at a person, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, endangering safety by reckless use of a firearm, criminal damage to property and discharging a firearm within 100 yards of a building. Prosecutors asked for a $10 million cash bond at a hearing, while Paul’s attorney sought $500,000. The court set bond at $1 million cash. Publicly available reports did not show a final plea in the case. The competency process could shape the next steps by testing whether Paul can understand the court case and help in his defense.

Investigators have described several pieces of evidence, including the minivan, a handgun, a purse believed to belong to Susan Paul and blood found inside the vehicle. Deputies said witnesses at the preserve gave the first suspect and vehicle information, and officers later connected that description to the Kia Carnival stopped after the police station shooting. The sheriff’s office said the Wisconsin State Patrol, Baraboo Police Department, Sauk Prairie Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assisted in the investigation. The DNR’s involvement reflected the location of the first crime scene at a state natural area. The sheriff’s office said early in the case that there was no ongoing threat to the community, even as investigators continued to process the two scenes and prepare records for prosecutors.

The case also placed a quiet Sauk County preserve at the center of a violent sequence that stretched about an hour and involved two public locations. Pewitt’s Nest sits near Baraboo, about 50 miles northwest of Madison, and draws visitors to a wooded stream corridor. On May 8, the parking lot became the place where Susan Paul was found dead. The later gunfire at the Sauk Prairie Police Department brought the case into another public space, but officials said no police staff were injured. Authorities have not released a full account of what the couple did before arriving at the preserve, how long they were there or whether anyone spoke with them before the shooting. Those gaps remain part of the active investigation.

Currently, Susan Paul’s death is being prosecuted as a domestic homicide because the suspect was her husband. George Paul remains in the Sauk County Jail as the case heads toward the next scheduled court date. The court’s order for a competency evaluation means the criminal case may pause or shift depending on the results. The next known milestone is the July 14 status conference, when the court is expected to review the case’s progress.

Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.