Olson formally charged with murder - FOX 25/48 - WLAX/WEUX La Crosse & Eau Claire News

Olson formally charged with murder

On Monday, he man arrested for committing Eau Claire's first murder in years made his first appearance in court for the crime. James Eugene Olson was arrested Friday after being held on a mental health evaluation. Paul Oberle was found dead in his backyard on Vine Street on June 9th. Investigators say Olson confronted Oberle when he got home from work and attacked him with a crow bar. That crowbar was later found behind the stove a Olson's home. Oberle's blood was also found on Olson's clothes.

FOX25/48 learned a few new details today. According to the criminal complaint, Oberle's phone lines had been cut, and the two had been neighbors since Oberle was a child. It also said that the victim's sister told the police that she once heard the suspect threatened to kill her brother. The judge granted District Attorney Brian Wright's request to deny Olson any chance of being released on bail. Says DA Wright, "Our office was very concerned about the need to protect the community. We asked that he be held in custody without bail at this time, and that remains our position."

The judge also ordered a mental competency evaluation for Olson.