TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — A criminal complaint released Monday reveals new details in the death of 16-year-old Payton Vertz, who was found dead in the water near Seagull Marina in Two Rivers on Friday, Oct. 16.
Two individuals are facing charges in Vertz’s death, including 26-year-old Dominic Pilgreen and 15-year-old Nathan Reichard, who is being tried as an adult.
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The criminal complaint explains that Pilgreen and Reichard beat and killed Vertz after selling items to the teen, and the teen failing to pay them. Initial information about the crime was passed to a school resource officer at Two Rivers High School by students who spoke with Reichard.
The complaint states that on Oct. 16, the same day Vertz’s body was found, a student told the school resource officer that Reichard said he sold something to someone and if that person didn’t pay him back, they were going to “get what is coming to them.” A separate student also told the school resource officer that Reichard asked if they knew Vertz, and then told the student: “He’s dead, I killed him.”
Vertz had previously been listed as a runaway on Oct. 6, after being last seen on Oct. 5. The criminal complaint says he had several previous runaway incidents but usually returned within a few days.
Later on Oct. 16, the Two Rivers Police Department located a shoe and bicycle that belonged to the victim in Zander Park, as well as partially burnt clothing in a burn pit. Dispatch then received a call about a body in the river near the docks of Seagull Marina. That body was later identified at Payton Vertz.
In an interview with detectives, Reichard told investigators that he and Pilgreen were drinking with the victim at Zander Park late at night on Oct. 5. Reichard added that Pilgreen convinced Vertz to take a walk down Ice Age Trail with him and told Reichard to stay at the trail head while Pilgreen killed the victim. Reichard also told detectives that Pilgreen instructed him to scream if someone was coming, according to the criminal complaint.
Reichard stated that Pilgreen came out of the trail alone and said the victim was dead. Reichard added that Pilgreen also told him told him that he punched the victim repeatedly until he was beaten and laying on the ground. Pilgreen then allegedly took the victim's shoes off and tied him to a tree with his shoelaces. Reichard’s report to investigators said the victim then got free and Pilgreen tried to strangle him with a shoe lace, which didn’t work. Pilgreen then allegedly used a belt to strangle and kill him.
When Pilgreen later spoke with detectives, he added that Reichard walked on the trail with them and was not just on lookout. Pilgreen added that he told Reichard the kill was supposed to be “his first kill” and Reichard’s job was just to assist. He added that Reichard assisted “quite a bit” because the victim was “extremely resistive.” Pilgreen also told investigators that Reichard and him were both beating the victim and he had to restrain Reichard from killing Vertz so that it could be his own kill. The complaint states that in a later interview, Reichard admitted to being on the trail and participating in the beating and killing.
Reichard and Pilgreen’s accounts both described dumping the victim’s body into a river. Pilgreen allegedly left the park carrying the body in a wagon and took $320 off the body before throwing it into the water. Pilgreen added that Reichard helped him load the body into the wagon.
Reichard also allegedly told investigators that Pilgreen said if he told anybody about the crime, he would “be next,” which Reichhard assumed meant Pilgreen would kill him. The complaint states that he later added that “they both told each other that if either one tells the other would kill them.”
According to the complaint, Pilgreen shared additional details in a later interview with investigators,. He told investigators where they disposed of the wagon and other pieces of evidence. He also told investigators that he hated the victim but “Kesley” used that as an excuse to kill. “Kesley” is a personality of Pilgreen’s who has “thought about killing someone for years." At times throughout his interview, Pilgreen also referred to Reichard as “Hallow.” Reichard later clarified to investigators that “Hallow” is his violent personality that he claims to have.
Pilgreen also allegedly told investigators during this later interview that the victim had escaped multiple times before they killed him and shared additional details about torturing the victim before killing him.
Reichard appeared for a bail/bond hearing Monday afternoon.
Pilgreen is due to make his initial appearance in court on Nov. 2
