Justin J. Betz, a 42-year-old White/Caucasian man from La Crosse, Wisconsin, was fatally shot during the early morning hours of January 19, 2025, outside Newie’s Vogue Bar and Grill on George Street on the city’s north side. At approximately 2:30 a.m., La Crosse police officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of George Street after reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found Betz suffering from a gunshot wound.
Emergency personnel attempted lifesaving measures before he was transported to a hospital, where he died a short time later. An autopsy determined that he had been struck by a single gunshot to the chest.
Investigators soon focused on Cody R. Alland, who was 28 at the time. According to the criminal complaint and testimony presented during the case, Betz and Alland did not know one another before encountering each other inside the bar that night. A witness who was with Alland told investigators that Betz and Alland had been talking inside and that Alland appeared annoyed. Betz eventually left the establishment, and when Alland and his companion later came outside, Betz approached them near the parking and alley area. Surveillance cameras captured much of what happened next.
Police investigators testified that the video showed Betz removing his jacket as the confrontation developed. Prosecutors later maintained that Betz placed the jacket on the hood of his vehicle and pulled down the sleeves of his sweatshirt but did not advance toward Alland, raise his fists, or reach for a weapon. Alland could be seen extending his arm and firing. Betz collapsed after being struck. Investigators recovered a Hornady-brand 9mm cartridge casing at the scene, and testimony at a preliminary hearing indicated that the ammunition was consistent with ammunition owned by Alland.
Alland left the area after the shooting. Police identified him as the suspected shooter and located him later that Sunday near a residence on La Crosse’s north side. Authorities said he drove away when officers attempted to take him into custody, but police stopped the vehicle a short distance away and arrested him. During subsequent court testimony, an investigator said Alland had asked his friend, Zachary Devine, to help him get to Rochester and had also discussed going to Oregon. Investigators reported finding Alland’s passport and approximately $1,900 in cash concealed in a vehicle.
Alland was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. At his initial court appearance, a judge set a $1 million cash bond, citing concerns that he could flee. He was also ordered to have no contact with Betz’s family and, if released, to avoid alcohol, bars and weapons while being subject to GPS monitoring and house arrest. At a January 28, 2025 preliminary hearing, a judge found probable cause to move the homicide case forward. Alland stood mute on the charge and a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf. His bond was eventually reduced in May 2025 from $1 million to $100,000.
The central dispute at trial was not whether Alland fired the fatal shot, but the circumstances surrounding it and the level of criminal responsibility. When Alland went before a La Crosse County jury in July 2026, prosecutors argued that the surveillance evidence showed Betz did not make a physical move toward Alland before being shot. The defense maintained that Alland believed a fight was imminent, pointing to the argument inside the bar and Betz’s actions outside, including removing his coat. Defense attorney Christopher Zachar argued that the circumstances supported a lesser offense rather than the first-degree intentional homicide charge sought by prosecutors.
After hearing the evidence, the jury did not convict Alland of the original first-degree intentional homicide charge. Instead, in early August 2026, jurors found him guilty of second-degree intentional homicide in Betz’s death. The verdict brought the criminal case to the conviction stage more than a year and a half after the shooting. Public reporting available through September 2026 indicated that Alland was awaiting sentencing, with no final prison sentence yet reported in the sources located.
Betz’s death left a significant impact on his family and the La Crosse community. His obituary described him as a devoted father, grandson, brother and friend who was remembered for helping others and for the happiness he brought to those around him. What began as an encounter between two men who apparently had not known each other before that night ended within moments in a fatal shooting, followed by an arrest, a lengthy prosecution and, ultimately, Alland’s conviction for second-degree intentional homicide.
