DODGEVILLE — The two men arrested for the death of a 74-year-old Dodgeville woman pleaded to their party to first-degree intentional homicide charges in Iowa County Circuit Court Jan. 3.
Aric Way, 51, Glendale, stood mute to the charge, and a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Philip G. Schmidt-Way, 28, Loveland, Colo., pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Way and Schmidt-Way are charged in connection with the death of Way’s mother and Schmidt-Way’s grandmother, Diana K. Way, 74, in her Town of Dodgeville home July 19, 2021.
Way’s bail was set at $250,000 for Way at his initial Iowa County Circuit Court appearance Nov. 8 with the requirements he have no contact with Schmidt-Way or a Town of Dodgeville address.
Schmidt-Way’s bond was set at $500,000 cash Dec. 7 with the condition he have no contact with the residence of the alleged victim. Schmidt-Way was bound over for trial Dec. 20.
Both face life in prison if convicted.
The case has been heard until now by Grant County Circuit Judge Robert VanDeHey, but a substitute judge will be appointed, according to court records. VanDeHey is retiring after his term as judge ends later this year.
State assistant attorneys general Nathaniel Adamson and Edward Minser are prosecuting the case, according to court records.
Carbon monoxide poisoning was a contributing cause of death, according to a Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation news release. The criminal complaint said there were no obvious sources to explain elevated levels of carbon monoxide in her home.
According to the criminal complaint, Diana Way had recently agreed to sell the family farm, which Schmidt-Way was set to inherit upon her death, to family friends.
A search warrant obtained Facebook messages Way sent to a friend in which Way said he was going to get “legal guardianship of [Way’s] mother before she sells the family farm for a handful of beans.”
Way filed a petition for permanent guardianship due to incompetency June 2, 2021, according to the criminal complaint. The petition was denied June 16, 2021.
After that, Diana Way changed her will, which originally had Aric Way inheriting a life estate in the farmstead upon her death, with the remaining interest going to Schmidt-Way. According to the criminal complaint, the new will removed Way as her personal representative while “intentionally not leaving any gift or distribution to Way,” leaving Schmidt-Way as her sole heir.
Diana Way was found unresponsive in her bedroom by a man who had arranged to purchase books from her. A Dodgeville EMS crew responded but during trying to care for her one of the EMT’s carbon monoxide detector went off, according to the criminal complaint.
The DOJ news release said Aric Way purchased products known to react together to create carbon monoxide. Way’s Google search history revealed searches for a beekeeping supply store to get formic acid and for drain cleaner with a high percentage of sulfuric acid. Owners of a beekeeping supply business told authorities that a new customer purchased a large supply of formic acid, according to the criminal complaint.
A pickup truck registered to Schmidt-Way was seen on a trail camera at the victim’s home entering the property at 2:57 a.m. and leaving at 5:24 a.m. the night of her death, according to the criminal complaint. The same truck dropped off Way at the Sheriff’s Office the day after the victim’s death.
The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office and DCI investigated the case with assistance from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, Dodgeville EMS, Dodgeville Fire, the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force, Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff’s Office, UW Hospital, Glendale Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin State Patrol and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Schmidt-Way is likely to face Colorado charges after a search warrant executed after Schmidt-Way’s arrest in Colorado Nov. 5 revealed more than 150 pounds of dried marijuana, more than 50 live marijuana plants, and several thousand dollars in cash, according to KMGH-TV in Denver.