OSHKOSH – An Oshkosh man who turned himself in after shooting his former long-term boyfriend said he killed him over not being allowed to pay for their internet bill following their breakup.
Willie Rollins, 32, faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted, having been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and possession of methamphetamine after the Jan. 5 fatal shooting of his onetime boyfriend in their West Ninth Avenue home.
A cash bond of $750,000 was set when Rollins made his initial appearance Jan. 12 in Winnebago County Circuit Court via video.
Authorities said Rollins turned himself in around 1:30 p.m. Jan. 5, revealing he walked into Oshkosh Police Department’s lobby holding a firearm and a magazine clip saying, “I just killed my boyfriend and he’s in the basement.”
What was in the criminal complaint?
According to court documents, police found the victim with a gunshot wound to his head, twitching a bit, gasping for air “and was likely to die.”
Law enforcement said the victim was pronounced brain dead a day later and organ procurement happened Jan. 9.
In the criminal complaint, Rollins told police he thought he was going to be human trafficked and felt like he was in danger of being kicked out of his home after he and the victim broke up.
Rollins said he went into the app for the home internet and removed all of the victim’s devices while he was still working on his electronic devices, causing them not to work.
The victim then brought the router up to Rollins’ room and threw it on his bed, according to Rollins, sparking a debate over who would pay for the internet.
Rollins said he feared he would be put out of the home as his former boyfriend wouldn’t let him pay the bills.
According to court documents, Rollins told police he wanted to keep paying the bill, saying it was the last one in his name as the victim wouldn’t allow him to help with the other bills.
Rollins said he went into the basement to plug the router back in and eventually elbowed the victim when he reached over his head.
The criminal complaint shows Rollins saying he hit the victim in the head at least twice with an office chair before punching him in the face a couple times when they fell to the floor.
Rollins said he got up, pulled the firearm from a holster and shot at the victim twice — believing he missed with the first shot before hitting the victim in the head with the second.
Police said they found meth in Rollins’ possession.
Rollins told police he was abusing substances again after going into a deep depression after the breakup, with officers finding him in possession of 3.1 grams of methamphetamine.
In court documents, the victim’s mom said Rollins and her son were together for about 10 years and moved to Wisconsin from Colorado around six years ago.
She said the two broke up about a year ago but continued to live together before the victim said Rollins threatened to kill him on more than one occasion.
According to the criminal complaint, she encouraged her son to kick Rollins out of the house and call police.
Rollins is set to return to court Jan. 22 for a preliminary hearing, with judge Bryan Keberlein presiding over the case and Amanda Lynn Folger prosecuting.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh man shot ex after breakup & dispute over bill, complaint says
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
