Stratford men charged in death of man found near Spencer

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Department on Feb. 9 arrested town of Eau Pleine resident Shawn Carl, 50, for the murder of Christan Schauer, 20, Marshfi eld, and, finding probable cause to hold the suspect, county court commissioner Doug Baumann on Feb. 11 set his bond at $1 million.

Carl’s initial appearance in Marathon County Circuit Court is scheduled for March 8, at 2 p.m.

On Dec. 29, the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department and Spencer Police Department went to the McMillan Marsh Wildlife Area after a fur trapper called to say he discovered a body. The precise area was off of Abe Lincoln Avenue, just south of Swamp Road.

The victim was identified as Schauer, who died of injuries sustained that day at an unknown location. Foul play was evident. At the onset of the investigation, the sheriff’s department asked the public for help in locating Schauer’s black 2005 Chevy Impala.

On Feb. 5, detectives received a tip from a citizen that Shawn Carl was attempting to get rid of a black Chevy Impala that had bullet holes and blood inside of it. Detectives located Schauer’s vehicle, which was registered to Christian Schauer’s father, on Carl’s town of Eau Pleine property northwest of Stratford. Shawn Carl’s son, 19-year-old Jar- ed Carl, admitted to detectives he moved Schauer’s car onto the property to remove the license plates and hide it. Detectives executed a search warrant of the Carl home and founda9mmhandgun with blood on it and a shoe located in Jared Carl’s bedroom that appeared to have blood on it. Jared Carl was arrested that day for possession of stolen property related to the homicide along with drug and weapons charges.

In the probable cause hearing, prosecutors said Jared Carl explained his father Shawn’s alleged involvement during an interview inside the jail with detectives. He reportedly told detectives Schauer came to the Carl property on Dec. 29. Shawn and Jared Carl got into a Chevy Tahoe and drove along with Schauer into a field. Jared Carl stayed in the Chevy Tahoe while his father got into Schauer’s Chevy Impala for an alleged drug transaction. Jared Carl told detectives his father spoke to Schauer for 10 minutes in the car before shooting him five to six times.

Jared Carl told detectives his father told him to clean blood off the gun and hide the gun in the basement of their home. Shawn Carl got into the rear seat of Schauer’s Chevy Impala, prosecutors said, and he had Jared Carl drive the car to the McMillan Marsh, where the father and son dropped off Schauer’s dead body in the woods.

Prosecutors said one of Schauer’s shoes and his jacket were left in his vehicle. Shawn Carl allegedly burned Schauer’s jacket that night in the burn barrel on their town of Eau Pleine property.

Jared Carl remains in the Marathon County jail on a $250,000 cash bond.

Jared Carl

Shawn Carl