By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

MERRILL – Appearing in Lincoln County court on Wednesday, Sept. 2, a Wausau man convicted of murdering a Tomahawk man in 2017 was sentenced to life in state prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

Investigators said Eric Lee Moen, 35, arrived at the home of Charles “Chuck” K. Ramp, located at 205 W. Mohawk Ave. in Tomahawk, late in the afternoon of Nov. 16, 2017.

Eric Lee Moen

After Ramp arrived at the home about 15 minutes later, Moen asked Ramp to listen to a noise his vehicle was making, according to investigators. Moen then pretended to look at something under the hood of the vehicle. When Ramp returned to the vehicle with a light, Moen retrieved a 20-gauge shotgun from the back of the vehicle and shot Ramp five times before fleeing the scene, investigators said.

Moen was taken into custody in Chippewa County later that evening. Ramp died from his injuries at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Tomahawk shortly after the shooting.

Moen pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree intentional homicide in on May 26.

Moen and Ramp had been friends for four years, and Moen had been to the home many times before, according to a story published in the Nov. 21, 2017 issue of the Tomahawk Leader.

According to Tomahawk Police Chief Al Elvins, Moen could not explain why he had shot Ramp.

“There was no way he could explain it. He said ‘I don’t know why I did it,’” Elvins said.

Ramp’s family indicated there was nothing out of the ordinary regarding Moen’s behavior before the shooting occurred.

Moen has been in custody since the time of his arrest and was credited with 1,021 days served.