Jigwemko Layton in court, Aug. 18, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A $750,000 bond was set Monday for Jigwemko Layton, the suspect in a homicide on a highway on-ramp in Ashwaubenon.
Formal charges have not been filed.
Layton, 18, was the passenger in a vehicle being driven by the victim, Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Hardtke said.
“The investigation, at this stage, indicates that the victim was driving a vehicle on I-41 southbound, which is a very busy artery in our community, when the defendant shot the victim in the head with a handgun, causing the vehicle to crash,” Hardtke said. “This is obviously an extremely violent act that is alleged to have been committed by the defendant, but it was also extremely dangerous to other drivers on the roadway in the vicinity at the time of the crash.”
The defendant was seen exiting the vehicle with a large rifle, and that is in addition to the handgun that is the suspected murder weapon.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office says the victim was a 60-year-old man from Wood County, which is in central Wisconsin. Authorities said Layton was sitting in the front passenger seat.
Layton returns to court Aug. 26, at which point the criminal complaint is expected to be filed.
“I have already reviewed the probable cause statement, as well as the accompanying reports. I have already found probable cause exists for the charge of first-degree intentional homicide. I’m going to continue that finding today,” said Brown County Court Commissioner Kate Zuidmulder.
Around 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, law enforcement was dispatched to the area of I-41 southbound and State Highway 172 for a report of a truck that left the roadway. Authorities received information from a passerby that a man had been seen running from the vehicle with a gun.
Upon arrival at the scene, deputies arrested Layton, who was located in a ditch with a firearm. When officials searched the crashed vehicle, they found the body of an adult man.
The ramp from State 172 westbound to I-41 southbound was closed for several hours as officers investigated the scene.
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