Man Charged in Girlfriend’s Killing Following Wright County Pursuit
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A high-speed pursuit in Wright County ended with a Wisconsin man in custody after authorities say he drove directly at a deputy while attempting to escape arrest.
Officials say the pursuit suspect was linked to a homicide investigation in Wisconsin, where charges have now been filed.
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The pursuit unfolded the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2026, after the Wright County Sheriff’s Office received information that a suspect connected to an aggravated assault and possible homicide investigation in Wisconsin was traveling through Monticello.
Robert Alan Chilcote, 29, of Porterfield, Wisc., is charged in Wright County with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
Investigators say deputies located Chilcote driving a red Toyota Prius near Broadway Street East and New Street in Monticello and attempted a high-risk traffic stop using emergency lights. The vehicle initially pulled over, but authorities say Chilcote refused commands to exit and accelerated away, beginning a pursuit that stretched across Wright County.
According to the complaint, Chilcote reached speeds exceeding 100 mph while ignoring traffic signals and stop signs and passing other vehicles recklessly as deputies followed with lights and sirens activated. Additional deputies joined as the chase moved along a county road toward Otsego and onto surrounding rural roads.
Authorities say deputies attempted to deploy stop sticks several times. As a deputy stood outside his squad preparing to deploy stop sticks at an intersection in Otsego, investigators allege Chilcote swerved directly toward the deputy, forcing him to jump out of the way as the vehicle passed within about five feet.
The pursuit ended near a roundabout at 70th Street Northeast and Odean Avenue Northeast in Otsego when Chilcote attempted to avoid stop sticks by driving onto a median, where he struck a stop sign and became stuck. Deputies ordered him out of the vehicle at gunpoint and he was taken into custody after initially refusing to comply. The complaint states the chase lasted about 16 minutes and covered roughly 17 miles.
Court documents state deputies located an AR-15-style rifle on the front passenger seat with a magazine inserted.
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Days later, Wisconsin authorities announced Chilcote had been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Marinette County following the death of his girlfriend, Gabriella Cartagena.
According to a Wisconsin criminal complaint, Chilcote called Marinette Police on Feb. 9 from a Minnesota jail and admitted he shot Cartagena during an argument on Feb. 4 in Marinette. Investigators say Chilcote claimed he fired the gun while attempting to scare her and described the shooting as accidental.
Cartagena’s body was located the morning of Feb. 10 in a wooded area in Menominee County. An autopsy determined she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Police say evidence at Red Arrow Park in Marinette showed signs of a violent encounter, including what appeared to be a blood trail extending from a parking lot toward the water and large amounts of blood in the snow near a dock, leading investigators to believe a body had been dragged.
Investigators say Chilcote told police he later returned to the park, placed Cartagena in the back seat of his vehicle and transported her to Michigan, where her body was ultimately found. Authorities used cellphone location data along with information Chilcote later provided to locate the remains.
The homicide investigation began after Cartagena’s mother reported her missing Feb. 5, telling police her daughter had left home the evening before with Chilcote to get juice for her child. When they did not return, she called her daughter and reported hearing her say, “I’m sorry. Don’t shoot me. I’m sorry. I didn’t do nothing,” before the call ended. Investigators later determined text messages sent from Cartagena’s phone afterward were allegedly sent by Chilcote posing as her.
Surveillance video and residential camera footage later tracked Chilcote leaving the park area and traveling away from the scene before authorities broadcast his vehicle information to other law enforcement agencies. Wright County deputies ultimately located and arrested him in Minnesota following the pursuit.
Chilcote is being held in the Wright County Jail on $50,000 bond, with conditions. Minnesota charges carry potential penalties of up to seven years in prison for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and up to three years and one day for fleeing a peace officer. Wisconsin homicide proceedings remain pending.
