Erik Metzig's trial date set for Oct. 14, almost a year after death of Union Star cheesemakers

Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent
Updated ·2 min read
Erik Metzig in court for a preliminary hearing, charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at the Winnebago County Circuit Court in Oshkosh, Wis. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Erik Metzig in court for a preliminary hearing, charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at the Winnebago County Circuit Court in Oshkosh, Wis. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

OSHKOSH — A trial date for Erik Metzig, the only suspect in the double murder of his parents, Dave and Jan Metzig, who were killed almost a year ago, is now on the calendar. Erik Metzig faces two charges of first-degree intentional homicide.

Thursday morning at the Winnebago County Courthouse, Judge Michael Gibbs set Erik Metzig's pretrial conference for Aug. 26, motion hearings on Sept. 12 and the jury trial for Oct. 14. Gibbs said he expected the trial to last about eight days.

The trial date comes after Erik Metzig entered a not guilty plea by reason of mental disease or defect last September. Since then, psychologists Dr. Frank Cummings and Dr. Brooke Lundbohm have examined Metzig and submitted reports to the court, according to court records.

The murder victims, Dave and Jan Metzig, were known for owning and operating Union Star Cheese Factory in the unincorporated community of Zittau in the town of Wolf River. Their son Jon Metzig now owns and operates the cheese factory.

More: The murder of Union Star Cheese Factory's owners rocked these Winnebago County communities. Jon Metzig is keeping the family business going

A timeline of the case and court dates

  • March 18, 2023: First responders are dispatched to Dave and Jan Metzig's home at 5:16 a.m. in Zittau, where the couple is found to have had a suspicious death. Their youngest son, Erik Metzig, is arrested the same day at 7:45 a.m. at the Heart of the Valley YMCA in Kimberly.

  • March 21, 2023: Erik Metzig is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and is held at the Winnebago County Jail on $1 million cash bond.

  • April 17, 2023: The state of Wisconsin finds probable cause for the charges against Erik Metzig. Metzig pleads not guilty and is bound over for trial.

  • Sept. 7, 2023: Erik Metzig's attorney, Scott Ceman, enters a not guilty plea by reason of mental disease or defect and requests an examination of Metzig.

  • Feb. 29, 2024: Erik Metzig's jury trial date is set for Oct. 14.

Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her with story tips and feedback at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @RebeccaLoroff.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Erik Metzig update: Jury trial date set for mid-October