La Crosse man jailed on $1 million bond for wife’s murder

A $1 million cash bond was set for a La Crosse man suspected of killing his wife.

Zachary Fritz appeared in La Crosse County court Tuesday for a bond hearing, a day after his arrest.

Prosecutor Andrew Burdick expects to file a formal charge of homicide Wednesday.

Burdick said in court Tuesday that Fritz was found at his home, covered in his wife’s blood. Injuries to the victim do not support Fritz’s claim that his wife killed herself, Burdick added.

“The stab wounds, the bite marks on her face, the blunt force trauma was not consistent with a self-inflicted injury,” Burdick told La Crosse County Judge Scott Horne.

Fritz was charged with domestic abuse in a prior case 15 years ago. He is looking for a defense attorney, and was represented in court Tuesday by attorney Ransome Springer, who objected to the District Attorney’s request for the $1 million bond.

“Mr. Fritz can’t post a million dollars, ” Springer said. “However, he thinks that with some time and effort, he might be able to come up with a relatively significant sum of money,” roughly $30,000.

The judge ordered the bond, saying that level is warranted. Once the criminal complaint is ready, Fritz is likely to be back in court for a third straight day.