Wisconsin Man Pleads In Dismemberment Slaying

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has pleaded no contest to a homicide charge after being found competent to stand trial on charges of fatally shooting and dismembering a Minnesota man.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kou Thao of Wausau pleaded no contest Wednesday to second-degree intentional homicide in the death of 58-year-old Tong Pao Hang, of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thao pleaded guilty to hiding a corpse and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was accused of shooting and dismembering the victim and taking the body parts to Milwaukee in the spring of 2013.

Earlier this year a Marathon County judge ruled Thao was mentally capable of assisting with his own defense. Online court records indicate Thao agreed in court Wednesday that he was competent to proceed.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21, 2015.

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