Southern Minnesota Farmhand Sentenced For Killing Boss
Gaylord, MN (KROC-AM News) - A southern Minnesota farmhand has been sentenced for murdering his longtime employer.
48-year-old Travis Bauer was indicted on first and second-degree murder charges following the shooting death of 79-year-old Dennis Weitzenkamp on September 20, 2022. The elderly Sibley County farmer was sitting in a chair shucking corn in the machine shed on his farm when he was shot in the head.
Court documents describe an investigation that led to the arrest of Bauer, who was described by investigators as a person who worked for the victim for many years and was considered a member of the family. The criminal complaint indicated Bauer was deeply in debt and that investigators found trust documents that showed Bauer "would receive significant financial benefit from Weitzenkamp's death.
The case went to trial last October and members of a Sibley County jury found Bauer guilty of second-degree intentional murder, but acquitted him of the first-degree murder charge.
Bauer was sentenced today to 30 1/2 years in prison. He was given credit for 117 days that he spent in jail following his arrest.
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Gallery Credit: Troy Dunken
