ND - Several bodies found at Mandan business, 1 April 2019 *Arrest* #2

[carbuff]

I was wrong about TX. Isaak previously lived in HI and IA.

Chad Isaak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

Do you know when he lived in Iowa?

 

[Seattle1]

Do you know when he lived in Iowa?

From the article link:

He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, in 2006.

 

[TTF14]

If he did do it….using his own vehicle was beyond crazy.

That was his one and only mistake…the catalyst for him becoming a suspect.

Without that…he’d have gotten away with it, 100%.

I agree that using his own vehicle was his one big mistake, and that he'd probably have gotten away with it otherwise. Maybe he figured a white pickup truck is too common to have been tracked back to him, so he was careless with everything else.

 

[carbuff]

From the article link:

He graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, in 2006.

Thanks, I missed that.

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks, I missed that.

The defense is now alluding to things about Isaak not previously disclosed but information that the defense believes is important when determining his sentencing.

Hmmm -- sounds like some traumatic event(s) that they want to blame for his actions. MOO

 

[MeadowMuffin]

The defense is now alluding to things about Isaak not previously disclosed but information that the defense believes is important when determining his sentencing.

Hmmm -- sounds like some traumatic event(s) that they want to blame for his actions. MOO

They never mentioned his LPN license. Did he work as an LPN ever? I found it interesting when prosecution asked the medical examiner if a Navy medic would know where the carotid artery was, and Isaak reacted strongly to that. An LPN would certainly know. So why wasn't that asked? Was his being an LPN more prejudicial than probative? Did he lose that license somehow?

Also defense mentioned he was married and had a daughter, but nothing about the ex taking him back to court, sounded like more than once, for non-payment of child support. What were the grounds for the divorce?

I have wondered if he had a history of drug use of some kind. Not that he was arrested for a drug offense, because it appears he has not. But it was strange that the defense brought up the explosives sniffing dog several times, and each time stressed it was NOT a drug sniffing dog but sniffed for explosives. Using pills and the thought of getting caught can make a person voluntarily give up their nursing license. And of course taking drugs may be a deal breaker for a spouse.

These are just a few things that made me go "hmmm".

 

[meanmaryjean]

From Nursys (national nursing license look-up)

I also looked in HI and IA and found nothing. So licensed less than 18 months- and certainly not while in chiro school.

 

[carbuff]

Neither his divorce nor potential drug use would be introduced at the trial because neither would have any bearing on the murders.

But they might come up in sentencing as indicators of character.

 

[KidonGadol]

They never mentioned his LPN license. Did he work as an LPN ever? I found it interesting when prosecution asked the medical examiner if a Navy medic would know where the carotid artery was, and Isaak reacted strongly to that. An LPN would certainly know. So why wasn't that asked? Was his being an LPN more prejudicial than probative? Did he lose that license somehow?

Also defense mentioned he was married and had a daughter, but nothing about the ex taking him back to court, sounded like more than once, for non-payment of child support. What were the grounds for the divorce?

I have wondered if he had a history of drug use of some kind. Not that he was arrested for a drug offense, because it appears he has not. But it was strange that the defense brought up the explosives sniffing dog several times, and each time stressed it was NOT a drug sniffing dog but sniffed for explosives. Using pills and the thought of getting caught can make a person voluntarily give up their nursing license. And of course taking drugs may be a deal breaker for a spouse.

These are just a few things that made me go "hmmm".

Sometimes things are really as they seem.

Cordite explosive does have a very queer smell... I a not surprised dogs can be used to pick it up as a specific training. Why were the cops doing this ? He had lot of firearms for which they found no ammo. Long guns and such as well as the 9mm Taurus .

So of course they are intrigued (why own hunting rifles with exactly zero ammo ? - and ESP if they find that ammo , they might find some small revolver parts stashed in the same place .) so they think there may be some ammo cache somewhere in the same place. Prima facie, that's going through their heads.


Plus, he's a somewhat weird ex army veteran. There was one like that called Timothy Mc Veigh.

 

[KidonGadol]

He did not expect them to track his "on foot" self back to that parking lot. Guess what...sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men are thwarted by a higher power. He needed to be stopped. 4 people were shot and stabbed to death. Just imagine what would have happened if he was set free. Every one of the people that testified against him would have been in his crosshairs and he would have learned from his mistakes on the next go around.

Where his big break was getting the keys that Dodge Ram RJR truck and that it was fully serviceable with aux alarm systems and the rest. With all the egg and blood (the latter his fault for using the knife) on the floor the chance that cop hounds could not track him 700mtrs up the road was very small. But once he'd moved himself in that truck the police had no idea if he'd gone 40 mtrs or 400km.

It took until they heard about the out of place truck at Indigo Signs for them to be completely sure that he went over there. Imagine if he had just a small amount of blood and egg on one shoe and he'd hoofed it all the way over to McD's via his intended route - all they would have to is track him to that car park then run around collecting security footage and then concentrate on a very small physical area where his footsmell stopped start eliminating vehicles that moved at the appropriate time slots and were not of interest.

From my point of view, he has been convicted only on circumstantial evidence. I'd like to see more details on the purchase of alleged ammunition and the firearm or OR that the BCI finds DnA of the victims under the recoil buffer spring of the Ruger LCR frame, which has been suggested to them. Even absolute proof of bleach treatment with sodium hypochorite or peroxide bleach on the revolver frame would be useful.

I don't place a lot of faith in fibre evidence where massive amounts of polyimide orange warmwear must be sold in that state and adjoining states over winter.

 

[Seattle1]

Where his big break was getting the keys that Dodge Ram RJR truck and that it was fully serviceable with aux alarm systems and the rest. With all the egg and blood (the latter his fault for using the knife) on the floor the chance that cop hounds could not track him 700mtrs up the road was very small. But once he'd moved himself in that truck the police had no idea if he'd gone 40 mtrs or 400km.

It took until they heard about the out of place truck at Indigo Signs for them to be completely sure that he went over there. Imagine if he had just a small amount of blood and egg on one shoe and he'd hoofed it all the way over to McD's via his intended route - all they would have to is track him to that car park then run around collecting security footage and then concentrate on a very small physical area where his footsmell stopped start eliminating vehicles that moved at the appropriate time slots and were not of interest.

From my point of view, he has been convicted only on circumstantial evidence. I'd like to see more details on the purchase of alleged ammunition and the firearm or OR that the BCI finds DnA of the victims under the recoil buffer spring of the Ruger LCR frame, which has been suggested to them. Even absolute proof of bleach treatment with sodium hypochorite or peroxide bleach on the revolver frame would be useful.

I don't place a lot of faith in fibre evidence where massive amounts of polyimide orange warmwear must be sold in that state and adjoining states over winter.

Most criminal convictions are based on circumstantial evidence, although it still must be adequate to meet the standard of proof. Also, don't ignore the surveillance video and ballistic tests which are direct evidence that Isaak committed these murders.

 

[katydid23]

Where his big break was getting the keys that Dodge Ram RJR truck and that it was fully serviceable with aux alarm systems and the rest. With all the egg and blood (the latter his fault for using the knife) on the floor the chance that cop hounds could not track him 700mtrs up the road was very small. But once he'd moved himself in that truck the police had no idea if he'd gone 40 mtrs or 400km.

It took until they heard about the out of place truck at Indigo Signs for them to be completely sure that he went over there. Imagine if he had just a small amount of blood and egg on one shoe and he'd hoofed it all the way over to McD's via his intended route - all they would have to is track him to that car park then run around collecting security footage and then concentrate on a very small physical area where his footsmell stopped start eliminating vehicles that moved at the appropriate time slots and were not of interest.

From my point of view, he has been convicted only on circumstantial evidence. I'd like to see more details on the purchase of alleged ammunition and the firearm or OR that the BCI finds DnA of the victims under the recoil buffer spring of the Ruger LCR frame, which has been suggested to them. Even absolute proof of bleach treatment with sodium hypochorite or peroxide bleach on the revolver frame would be useful.

I don't place a lot of faith in fibre evidence where massive amounts of polyimide orange warmwear must be sold in that state and adjoining states over winter.

Are a lot of people wearing big orange face masks and warm fleece orange hoodies in April?

 

[KidonGadol]

Are a lot of people wearing big orange face masks and warm fleece orange hoodies in April?

The tiny fibres could be months old. That's the point -they can be transferred from clothing and hang around through one or more vacuum cleanings. I'd pick that there are a hell of a lot of other orange fleece hoodies around Bismark that could be matched to the fibres found because the fibres are generic.

There was a rapist/ murderer who worked for the Telecom in Perth who was recently convicted partly on fibre evidence but it was a specfic fibre from Telstra issued work pants. But in his case they got an EXact DNA match. I believe it was from a discarded drink bottle. He as followed into a picture theatre by Perth police who were scavenging for DnA. A rather different set of details. But the point is that the case would not have got up on circumstantial evidence plus the fibres.

 

[KidonGadol]

Most criminal convictions are based on circumstantial evidence, although it still must be adequate to meet the standard of proof. Also, don't ignore the surveillance video and ballistic tests which are direct evidence that Isaak committed these murders.

There is no ballistic evidence. There are ballistic artifacts, but no evidence.

All they know is that the revolver part they found , if complete with barrel and cylinder could fire 38 Spl and 357 magnum loads. they recovered either 38 SPL or 357 mag projectiles with rifling on them but they have no rifled barrel owned by CTI to compare them with.

The have a number of used shell cases. There is no direct link from them to the revolver parts found, given there is no firing pin in the revolver.

KG

if CTI has the money , this case could conceivably to appeal. People might not like that, but it is a fact. CTI cannot offer up an alternative killer but, as the defendant, he and his team do not have to do that.

 

[Terrib11]

From my point of view, he has been convicted only on circumstantial evidence.

There is nothing wrong with circumstantial evidence. They had plenty of it. In the U.S., the jury is charged to find someone guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt". Not on absolutely no doubt. I think they had plenty of cause to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. His easily identifiable truck, shoe prints, ability to follow him on camera on both the dry run and the actual crime. The fiber evidence was a bonus. I followed a case recently that had much less evidence that convicted - check out the case on here for Dylan Redwine.

 

[MeadowMuffin]

Are a lot of people wearing big orange face masks and warm fleece orange hoodies in April?

No, not at all. Here in Minnesota, where I live temps can get to -40 on the coldest days. Our coldest months are Dec,Jan,Feb. My husband will wear his face mask to plow snow and when he fills the outside wood stove. Bit only when it's really cold out. By Maarch those items have been stored away.

 

[carbuff]

Wasn't the spring of 2019 unusually cold in the Dakotas? I'm remembering the search for Serenity Dennard was handicapped by blizzards and bitter cold. That would have been a month or two earlier.

 

[1MTIrish]

According to Accu Weather, on April 1, 2019 the high was 50 in Bismarck. At 6:00 a.m. it was 30.....that is chilly.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

According to Accu Weather, on April 1, 2019 the high was 50 in Bismarck. At 6:00 a.m. it was 30.....that is chilly.

But not cold enough, even with wind, for otherwise-healthy and cold-climate-acclimated folks to wear a ski mask. That's more for -30 weather, not +30. IMO

 

[Niner]

Updte on docket:

08/20/2021 Order for PSI Index # 541

08/23/2021 Instructions Index # 542

08/23/2021 Verdict Index # 543
Guilty on All Counts

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 544
Exhibit #1: Disk - 911 Call Recording (In Clerk's Exhibit Closet). (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 545
Exhibit #2: Photo - RJR Floorplan. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 546
Exhibit #3: Foam Board - RJR Floorplan (In Clerk's Exhibit Closet). (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 547
Exhibit #4: Photo - Victims. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 548
Exhibit #5: Photo - Victims. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 549
Exhibit #6: Photo - Victims. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 550
Exhibit #7: Photo - Victims. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 551
Exhibit #8: USB - 3 Videos of RJR - 1) Exterior of RJR; 2) Interior of RJR Shop; and 3) Interior of RJR Office. (In Clerk's Exhibit Closet). (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 552
Exhibit #9: Alex Droske Curriculum Vitae. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 553
Exhibit #10: Photo - Exterior of RJR Shop. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 554
Exhibit #11: Photo - Exterior of RJR Shop. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 555
Exhibit #12: Photo - Exterior of RJR Shop. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 556
Exhibit #13: Photo - Exterior of RJR Shop. (Received)

08/23/2021 Exhibit Index # 557
Exhibit #14: Photo - Exterior of RJR Shop. (Received)

link: https://publicsearch.ndcourts.gov/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=4208012