Man Who Carried Out 4 North Dakota Murders Gets Life

Chad Isaak killed 4 at company that manages the mobile home park where he lived
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 6, 2019 8:46 AM CDT
Updated Dec 28, 2021 1:17 PM CST
ND Suspect Planned Killings, Hid Evidence, Police Say
State and local police search a field Wednesday in Manton, N.D., about half a mile from a business where an owner and three employees were found dead.   (AP Photo/ Blake Nicholson)

Update: The North Dakota man who murdered four people in a grisly act at a property management firm will spend the rest of his life in prison. Chad Isaak was on Tuesday sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty in August of the murders at RJR Maintenance and Management. Co-owner Robert Fakler, employees Adam Fuehrer and Bill Cobb, and Cobb's wife, Lois, were shot and stabbed on April 1, 2019. NBC News reports investigators noted a total of more than 100 stab wounds. Relatives of the victims gave heart-wrenching statements about the impact of the murders on their lives; Isaak said simply, "I can honestly tell you I am not a murderer and that’s all I have to say." Our original story from April 2019 follows:

A North Dakota man charged Friday with killing four people at a business that manages the mobile home park where he lives tried to avoid detection by picking up shell casings, changing his clothing, and cleaning a knife and gun with bleach, according to court documents. Court documents allege that after shooting and stabbing the victims, Chad Isaak, 44, took one of the company's vehicles to drive about one block, then walked to his own truck parked less than a mile away at a McDonald's, per the AP. Authorities traced his steps with help from surveillance video at businesses along the route, the documents say. The affidavit and complaint filed Friday offer the most details yet on a mystery that has gripped the area since authorities found the bodies of four people Monday at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, a town of 22,000 near the capital of Bismarck.

A judge set bond for Isaak at $1 million after a hearing where Morton County Assistant State's Attorney Gabrielle Goter argued that the killings "show a level of preplanning and a level of intent to disguise his actions" that suggested that witnesses could be at risk if he is freed. "It appears that RJR was targeted," said Goter. Isaak's attorney requested $100,000 cash bond, citing "zero criminal history." Isaak, a chiropractor and Navy veteran, faces four counts of murder and other charges. The victims were RJR co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; employee Adam Fuehrer, 42; and married co-workers Lois Cobb, 45, and William Cobb, 50. Fakler had multiple stab wounds. Isaak appeared in court Friday in a black-and-white striped jail uniform and showed no emotion. He spoke only to say, "Yes, sir," when the judge asked him whether he understood the charges.

(More North Dakota stories.)

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