MARINETTE (NBC 26) — A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Marinette pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
Robert Chilcote, 29, pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide during an arraignment at the Marinette County Courthouse.
Chilcote is accused of killing his girlfriend, Gabriella Cartagena, who went missing on Feb. 4, after she was last seen at Red Arrow Park in Marinette. Shortly before her disappearance, police say she placed a call to her mother and was heard saying "don't shoot me."
In a news conference, the Marinette Police Department confirmed she had been found dead in a wooded area near Birch Creek Road in Menominee, Mich.
Chilcote was arrested on Feb. 5 in Wright County, Minn., after a chase with police that authorities say reached speeds over 100 miles per hour. A deputy’s report included in the complaint says a loaded rifle was found in the vehicle, and Wisconsin investigators later reported being told multiple firearms and ammunition were recovered during a search of the car.
According to the criminal complaint, Chilcote told a Marinette detective, “it was an accident,” then said Cartagena was in Michigan. The complaint says Chilcote described an argument in the car during which he tried to scare her with a gun, and said the gun went off, striking her in the head.
Chilcote is due back in court Aug.18.
