Oertel case gets hearing

By Rapids City Times staff
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – A Wood County plea hearing has been set for a 21-year-old man serving prison time for killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother. The hearing comes after Miguel Oertel was granted a new insanity trial.
A judge ruled in March of 2018 that Oertel’s defense attorney’s performance was “deficient” during the insanity phase of his previous trial.
Oertel was convicted in 2016 of killing Theresa Coates at her town of Saratoga home in August of 2015. Authorities said he shot Coates after her daughter told him she was ending their relationship. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Now, court records indicate a plea deal, which is scheduled during a hearing on Feb. 2. A sentencing has also been scheduled for April 17.