Cash bond set at $2 million in July double homicide

STEVENS POINT – A competency hearing has been set for the man officials say shot and killed his parents at their New Hope home.
John Shulfer, 35, is being held on a $2 million cash bond after being charged with multiple felonies in the July 6 deaths of Dale and Paula Shulfer.
Those charges include two counts of first-degree intentional homicide with a domestic abuse enhancer, two counts of causing mental harm to a child and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The homicide charges could send Shulfer to prison for the rest of his life, if he’s found guilty. At his Aug. 1 initial appearance, Portage County Judge Patricia Baker ordered a competency hearing be held. That hearing was originally set for Aug. 20, but has now been pushed back to Sept. 10.
Portage County Sheriff’s deputies were called to Dale and Paula Shulfer’s home on July 6. There, they found the couple had been shot and killed.

Deputies surrounded the home, and when John Shulfer came out, officials say he was armed and failed to comply with deputies’ verbal commands. A deputy who had been with the department for 13 years then shot Shulfer, who was treated at the scene and airlifted to a local hospital.
After an investigation, the shooting was ruled justified and the deputy was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Two children present at the home were found unharmed and released to a family member, authorities said.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Department investigated the officer-involved shooting, while the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office is leading the death investigation. The case will be reviewed by the Portage County District Attorney’s Office upon completion of the investigation.
No other injuries were reported during the incident.