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

[KidonGadol]

Nothing was found on his cell phone.

I have heard that too from the defense lawyer B T Quick in opening statements but consider this - if in previous days his cell phone moved around in Wasburn as a man doing his business - different towers picking it up as he drove to work.. went to a fishing hole or whatever and YET on the two days in question location found it in his mobile home area, all morning, not moving - or switched off... that would be very interesting.

It would be as if he wanted to "go dark" . If the phone went dark on both the mornings of the 25th March AND the 1st of April and never did that before (for lack of coverage ) - we'd be starting to see some pattern.

On the other hand, If his phone (signals) was found by tower records say way the hell out in the hills around Washburn (figuratively) (say) on the 25th March `19 morning and he had a hunting buddy to corroborate that - then whose ute is it we are seeing in Mandan ?

So not finding incriminating evidence is not the same as saying the cell phone logs give him a get out of jail.

Just saying. KG.

 

[Seattle1]

This is a continuing story and will be updated as new details develop. Keep checking back for the latest information available. Updates from previous days are at the end of this report. Live streaming of the trial is here. Other articles are also available here.

Aug 12, 2021 - DAY 7 - LIVE TRIAL BLOG

Thursday, August 12

4:31 p.m.: Judge David Reich recesses the case for the day. The proceedings will resume on Friday, August 13 at 8:30 a.m.

3:41 p.m.: Witness called — Arnie Rummel, Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent. Details his training and experience in law enforcement. Stationed by BCI in Jamestown. Has been involved in investigating 85 homicides in his 39-year career.

Witness Arnie Rummel
Rummel discusses how law enforcement processes a crime scene. Look for things out of the ordinary, things that were brought to a crime scene, things that are missing from a crime scene. On April 1, 2019, was assigned to assist in processing the RJR crime scene and supervise the case as it progressed. After being informed of the particulars at the crime scene, he recognized he would need a lot of agents to work the crime scene. Says he arrived at RJR around 10:00 a.m., on April 1, 2019. When he arrived, the crime scene had been secured. Noticed the crime scene inside was messy, things had been strewn around. Testifies all agents on scene took precautions to prevent cross-contamination of evidence and that they all followed proper procedures at the scene.

Worked with special agent Joe Arenz throughout the case in a support mode. Says a drone was dispatched to help document the scene from the air and possibly help look for evidence. Also coordinated agents to canvas the area to look for video evidence and interview people who might be potential witnesses. Used viideo evidence from businesses to help identify the suspect and provide information on the suspect’s movement and clothing.

Says he noticed while he was near and in RJR, he wore hunter orange. When he left the area and was going away from RJR, he was wearing dark or black clothing. The change of clothing was significant because wearing hunter orange indicates a person is out hunting, he was hunting people. Then he changes to dark afterward because he now doesn’t want to be seen. This indicated to Rummel a particular mindset of the suspect — he went out to kill.

Used the Big O Tires video and saw the suspect by a fence behind the store, so they went annd measured the height of the fence and were able to determine his height based on his placement by the fence. They estimated a six foot tall person.

Says it was significant they they didn’t find shell casings and clothing. From that, they surmised he took it all with him so it couldn’t be found.

Says they were looking for a white Ford F-150 pickup with an extended cab with rust spots. There are a lot of white pickups in ND, but they were looking for a specific truck that had a particular rust pattern on the driver side rear wheel well based on the surveillance videos.

Rummel says he was notified a Washburn deputy was confident a truck in the community was similar to the suspect truck being sought. Went to Washburn on April 4. Arrived about 3:30 p.m.. or 4:00 p.m.

Watched the traffic stop that detained Chad Isaak. Felt the fact Isaak was smiling when he was detained was “weird.” With a lot of guns pointed at him, he wouldn’t expect the person to smile. Felt the large number of responding officers was appropriate because they were dealing with a suspect that may have killed several people, so they didn’t know what his mindset would be in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Says search warrants were obtained for Chad Isaak, his business, his pickup and for his residence. The searches took place at slightly different times.

Chad Isaak’s residence was searched on April 4. Rummel says they were searching for items that would connect Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. Looking for guns, ammunition, shell casings, fibers for clothing that might match the clothing in the video. Looking for hunter orange clothing, camouflage clothing and a knife.

Rummel says they did find most of the things they were looking for. It’s significant because they are pieces that tie Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. They found an orange sweatshirt, dark clothing, dark gloves, knives, dark shoes. Those were things. Says they didn’t find blood, but says everything was bathed in bleach and bleach destroys blood. Found in the freezer portions of a Ruger handgun in a plastic container labeled “Chad’s veg soup” in the back of the freezer. Says when he opened the container, it smelled of bleach. Also located a dark-handled knife, and some pocket saws that were similiar to the one found at RJR. Says investigators, and through experience, always look in freezers because people tend to hide things in their freezers.

Photo of gun pieces found in the refridgerator’s top freezer at Chad Isaak’s home during the April 4 search
Rummel says bleach destroys blood evidence and says bleach was evident throughout the house. Found it odd that the portions of the handgun found in the freezer were bleached. Says people normally don’t bleach their handguns.

Rummel says the Ruger revolver holds up to 8 bullets if you have a particular cylinder, and it holds the shell casings. The gun barrel and cylinder were missing. Crime testing on bullets can be traced back to a particular barrel, so he felt it was significant that the barrel was missing.



3:41 p.m.: The trial resumes.

3:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

3:38 p.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith didn’t include the smell of bleach in his report because he couldn’t seize the smell for evidence. Also didn’t write down he found some sticky notes as “odd.”

3:37 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Says he observed a knife in the washing machine. He did not retrieve it because he was called to Chad Isaak’s business to help with that search. He told Matt Hiatt about what he saw in the washing machine.

3:32 p.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith discusses his cybercrime expertise with Quick. Smith says lint from the dryer was also collected as potential evidence. Says helped search Chad Isaak’s office where a computer was seized for evidence.

3:04 p.m.: Witness called — Jesse Smith, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Based in Fargo. Details his experience and training. Does computer forensics and works in cybercrimes.


Witness Jesse Smith
He extracted information from cellphones and assisted in a search warrant. Nothing significant came from the cellphone searches. Assisted in executing a search warrant on Chad Isaak’s residence. Wanted to assist based on his cybercrime and forensics experience. Saw the RJR video of the suspect in the April 1, 2019 killings. During the search, he extracted information from a cellphone found in the residence. Nothing significant came from that search. Smith testifies he noticed a strong odor of bleach in the house.

Searched the entryway of the trailer where the washer and dryer were located. Smith says he found items in the dryer and some towels in the washing machine. When he opened the dryer, he saw a blaze orange hoodie with pockets, similar to the one worn by the suspect on video surveillance.

Photo of blaze orange jacket and black pants found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s residence during April 4 search
Other items found in the dryer were an orange black jacket, black pullover, two black jackets, black pants, reversible face mask, black shoes and socks. Says the fleece reversible face mask is designed with camouflage print on one side and blaze orange on the other and can be worn with either side showing. Says the mask appeared to be similar to the face masks seen in the surveillance videos from April 1, 2019.

Reversible face mask found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home

Shoes found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home during April 4 search
Smith says the suspect, in the surveillance videos, was wearing a camouflage mask and in others a blaze orange mask. Says the reversible face mask found in the dryer on both sides appeared to match the ones worn by the suspect in surveillance videos. Also found black shoes in the dryer that appeared similar to the ones the suspect was wearing in the April 1 surveillance videos.

While searching Chad Isaak’s home, says he read some of the sticky notes and that they seemed “odd” to him. Also saw socks and gloves hanging and drying throughout the home.



3:03 p.m.: The Chad Isaak trial resumes, Judge David Reich presiding.

2:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls an afternoon recess. The trial will resume at 3:00 p.m.

2:32 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Hiatt says he helped canvas areas behind businesses in Mandan near RJR because the videos might have suggested there might be evidence there. Nothing was found. Hiatt’s other interviews with RJR employees did not result in any additional evidence. Says, despite the number of people involved in the search, he followed standard protocol and that it wasn’t difficult to move around the trailer. Says the disorganization of the home did not affect his ability to conduct a search of the home. Says a white t-shirt seen in a photo of one room did not match the orange hoodie authorities were looking for. Orange clothing that matched what they were looking for was collected. Says the location of the sticky note near a Bible didn’t invalidate the interest he had in the note. The second search was conducted a few days after the first search. The Mandan Police Department had requested a second search warrant to look for remnants of firearms, ammunition and other items. Nothing was found during the second search. Says all the clients Chad Isaak saw on April 1, 2019, were all in the afternoon. Says he was informed he had an appointment and couldn’t make the morning appointments on April 1, 2019.

2:12 p.m.: Trial resumes. Cross-examination of Matt Hiatt by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Hiatt interviewed potential witnesses in Mandan on April 3 related to the killings. Also canvassed for evidence — tire tracks, footprints and such — in Mandan with about 5 other agents. On April 4, interviewed other potential witnesses. Says he and others secured the Chad Isaak residence at 4:30 p.m. Says he assisted in the execution of the search warrant. Reviewing the sticky notes, Hiatt recalled from memory a sticky note about fighting only the battles you can win. Defense attorney Bruce Quick has Hiatt read the full note, “You are not the Caped Crusader for justice. Only fight those battles the Lord tells you to.” The other notes, “This is the time of year when you do stupid things,” was on a board next to an open Bible. Hiatt acknowledges several knives were seized at Isaak’s home. Hiatt was involved in a second search of Isaak’s home on April 9 or 10 using special sniffing dogs. That search was looking for guns and ammunition. Says nothing was seized in that search.

 

[Seattle1]

2:11 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

1:21 p.m.: Witness called — Matt Hiatt, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Reviews his training and experience in law enforcement. He is assigned to the BCI Washburn field office.

Witness Matt Hiatt

Hiatt says he was assigned to interview RJR employees on April 3, 2019. He says nothing came of those interviews. Was contacted by Krohmer who said he knew of a vehicle in Washburn that closely matched the vehicle shown in the ‘Be On The Lookout’ bulletins. He passed that information to special agent Joe Arenz. On April 4, he helped secure the perimeter around Chad Isaak’s residence in Northview Estates in Washburn. His task was to prevent anyone from getting inside the trailer home to maintain scene integrity. Says no one went inside when he was there and he was there for four hours.

Hiatt says when a search warrant is executed, an evidence custodian is named. An evidence custodian documents all the items found, writes down pertinent information, seals the evidence and establishes a chain of custody for that evidence. Says photos are also taken of the scene to show how it looked at the time and to document what was collected.

A search of the residence took place on April 4, 2019, around 8:30 p.m. Says investigators typically look for items spelled out in the search warrant.

During the execution of the search warrant on Chad Isaak’s residence, Hiatt’s job was to secure the scene to allow only law enforcement access to and from the residence, and take photos.

Says the first thing he observed during the search was the single wide mobile home and two sheds. Said the trailer had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There were two entrances to the trailer. Once Hiatt walked into the trailer, there was a mudroom with a washer and dryer and a doorway leading into the living room. Says the living room appeared to have been used for storage. In the kitchen, numerous yellow sticky notes were seen all over the house. About 30 to 50. Some notes were motivational messages. One said, roughly, “You’re not the Caped Crusader. Only fight the battles you can win.” Another note read, “This is the time of the year when you do stupid things.”

Another bedroom was used for storage, filled with many bins. In the hallway bathroom, a bottle of bleach was found on the floor of the shower and the room had the smell of bleach. In the bathroom sink was a wristwatch, which had a strong odor of bleach. The bathroom did not appear to be used regularly.

Photo of the hallway bathroom taken during the search of Chad Isaak’s home April 4, 2019

Haitt says the master bedroom and bathroom appears to have been the bedroom and bathroom used by Chad Isaak.

The search took about two and a half hours. Haitt searched the washing machine. Says investigators were lookng for items listed in the search warrant. Says he found a knife inside the washing machine tub at the bottom under some wet clothes. Noticed the folding knife was large, about 14 inches long unfolded. That told Haitt the knife had gone through a wash cycle. Says the tip of the knife was bent over.

Photo of the knife recovered from the washing machine at Chad Isaak’s home during a search on April 4.

Haitt took photos of a few sportsman’s pocket saws or wire saws found in the trailer in a plastic bag in the kitchen.

Haitt conducted interviews with clients of Chad Isaak to gather follow-up information. A calendar was in the trailer. Haitt noticed that Isaak had appointments listed for April 1, 2019, the day of the RJR killings. The interviews stood out for him because the individuals had their appointments moved from April 1, 2019 to other times or dates. Says Isaak saw clients on the afternoon on April 1. And an appointment scheduled for the morning was moved to later in the afternoon of April 1, 2019.

1:20 p.m.: The trial of Chad Isaak resumes, Judge David Reich presiding. Handling trial housekeeping issues. Handing a decision on the admission of certain evidence.

11:54 a.m.: Judge David Reich declares a noon recess. The trial will resume at 1:15 p.m.

11:51 a.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Arenz says they had no reason to believe Lisa Nelson was involved in the killings. Says law enforcement had no reason to believe there was more than one suspect they were looking for or that there was more than one vehicle. Arenz says they weren’t searching at the time Isaak’s hat and shoes were removed from the interview room. Doesn’t remember specifically why those items were removed. Arenz says when he was taking photos, Isaak asked him if Arenz wanted him to smile. Arenz said, “I don’t care what you do.” Says that’s why Isaak is seen smiling in one of the photos Arenz took of Isaak during the search of Isaak.

11:39 a.m.: Cross-examination of Arenz by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Arenz says Agents interviewed Lisa Nelson. Collected items had been sent to labs for testing. Arenz acknowledges he knew of the relationship between Lisa Nelson and Robert Fakler on April 4, and that he went to Washburn for the high-risk felony traffic stop and later arrest of Isaak. he was also on hand for the searches of Isaak, his truck, his home and business. Says Isaak was detained and taken to the Washburn law enforcement center and, about three hours later, was formally arrested.

Defense team. From left to right: Bruce Quick, Jesse Walstad, Luke Heck and defendant Chad Isaak

Prosecution team. Left to right: Austin Gunderson, Gabrielle Joy Goter, Karlie Neufeld and BCI agent Joe Arenz (no photo).

Quick questions the timeline for seized items and the issuance of the search warrants. Arenz acknowledges Isaak was searched in the interview room at 4:12 p.m. and searched again at 4:23 p.m. His shoes and hat were taken even though the first search warrant did not specifically allow the seizure of clothing. The shoe fiber was discovered outside the presence of Chad Isaak. The second search warrant arrives at 6:32 p.m. which allows agents to seize additional clothing. Most of that clothing was not sent in for testing because Arenz says he didn’t believe they had any “evidentiary value.”

Says there was white paint on Isaak’s clothing and hands in the photos of Isaak taken on April 4. Arenz says Isaak told him the scratch was from the dog and the bruising on his knees were from falling on the ice. Arenz says he didn’t believe the suspect was wearing the same clothes three days later, one reason why he didn’t have the dark clothing tested.

10:53 a.m.: Witness recalled — Joe Arenz, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Previously tstified on August 6 and August 9. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Arenz says, based on the video surveillance, law enforcement had only one suspect and one suspect vehicle they were tracking. Says law enforcement tracked the suspect vehicle up to Center, ND.

Witness Joe Arenz

Says ‘Be On The Lookout’ (BOLO) bulletins sent out on April 2 and April 3, 2019. Says defining characteristics on suspect vehicle shown in BOLOs were rust in the driver’s side rear wheel well and dirt or mud on the from passenger side bumper.

Says on April 3, Krohmer called, advising that the vehicle looked familiar and could have been Chad Isaak’s vehicle. On April 4, 2019, received photos taken by Krohmer that morning. After reviewing the photos, says he believed it was the same vehicle.

Arenz says he sent BCI agents to meet with the McLean County Sheriff’s Office on April 4 to assist.

Says law enforcement continued interviews of others in the case after Chad Isaak was detained.

Says he went to Washburn on April 4 to assist in the detention of Chad Isaak. Briefly spoke with Chad Isaak, introducing himself and asking if Isaak had a cellphone. At that point, Arenz began delegating assignments to agents for processing Isaak’s pickup and arrangements for towing the vehicle to the sheriff’s department.

Applied for four search warrants to search Isaak himself, his chiropractic clinic, his residence and his pickup. Was looking for handgun, ammunition, knives, wire saws, dark-colored clothing, dark-colored gloves, orange jacket, orange mask, camouflage mask, blood evidence, computers, cellphones, any mapping tools that might show planning, any surveillance equipment. Looking for the clothing the suspect wore inside and outside RJR on April 1, 2019. Looking for all these items in his home, his truck and his chiropractic business.

A search of Isaak’s person would include photos of him in his clothes, as the layers of his clothes are removed, DNA samples, fingerprints and more. Says found an orange fiber in his shoe and that fiber was removed for processing and analysis. Also collected an orange fiber on a maroon shirt he was wearing. Says
they also collected clothing Isaak was wearing at the time of his detainment.

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS

 

[Seattle1]

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS

Day 7 - Live Trial Blog Continued :

Photos of Chad Isaak taken by investigators on April 4 during a search of Isaak

Prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson is introducing the clothing collected from Chad Isaak at the time he was detained on April 4: Sweater, undershirt, shoes, socks, hat.

Arenz says they also took DNA swabs and fingernail clippings and fingerprints from Chad Isaak.

After searching Isaak and collecting fiber evidence and his clothing, Isaak was placed under arrest.

While Arenz was processing Isaak, other agents were executing a search wants on Isaak’s pickup, residence and chiropractic business.

10:42 a.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Walstad. Walstad is introducing into evidence body camera footage from Copeland at the time of Isaak’s traffic stop. Says a “look of amazement” he saw in Chad Isaak was not seen on the body cam footage.

Image from bodycam worn by Copeland during the Isaak traffic stop on April 4

10:39 a.m.: Re-direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Copeland says what he felt was an odd response by Isaak was based on how people have reacted when they are arrested. He says people have a lot of questions when they’re arrested under less tactical circumstances. He says he would expect more questions given the show of force in the Isaak arrest.

10:33 a.m.: Testimony resumes with cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Copeland says was wearing a bulletproof vest, an M4 rifle while in the armored vehicle on April 4 during the traffic stop of Chad Isaak. Says he heard Isaak ask that his dog be taken to the neighbors because they had keys to his house.

Copeland says over 20 officers on the scene, helicopter in the air. If Isaak resisted or fled, he would have been detained by authorities. Says it is likely someone facing all the law personnel would be scared and might behave strangely. Says he has been involved in one tactical response like this — and it was this instance. Says he has been involved in about 45 arrests, but those were all general stops and not stops involving a tactical response.

Says “beating up the house” is slang for executing a search warrant. Says he had made such a statement.

10:31 a.m.: There is a lengthy conference with the judge by the defense and prosecution regarding the direction of testimony by the witness.

10:22 a.m.: Witness called — Raymond Copeland, McLean County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Copeland outlines his training and experience in law enforcement.

Witness Raymond Copeland

Assisted in the apprehension of Chad Isaak on April 4 in Washburn. He was in the armored vehicle used during the traffic stop of Isaak. Says when got to the scene, Isaak had already been detained and was on the ground being handcuffed. Saw two deputies approach Isaak’s car with guns drawn to make sure there w
ere no other people in Isaak’s vehicle. Says he felt it was odd, given the show of force, that he was nonchalant and candid over the entire situation. Says it was odd he didn’t ask why he was being detained and why he was surrounded by multiple deputies. Says those feelings are based on his experience during arrests in his career. Says he’s never seen similar nonchalant behavior in arrests he’s seen or been part of in his career.

Copeland says he was later in charge of interview room security. Says Isaak was nonchalant and candid during that period.

10:21 a.m.: The trial of Chad Isaak has resumed, Judge David Reich presiding.

9:57 a.m.: Judge David Reich calls a morning recess. The trial will resume at 10:20 a.m.

9:56 a.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Matties acknowledges with respect to the multiple alternate routes to Chad Isaak’s home in Northview Estates that there are several businesses and organizations along those routes and that law enforcement did not request copies of surveillance videos from those places.

9:55 a.m.: Re-direct by Austin Gunderson. Matties says there are many ways to get to Chad Isaak’s residence in Northview Estates.

9:52 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Matties says he and Krohmer drove from River Ag to Isaak’s residence at Northview Estates. Says drove Highway 200 to Sterling Road directly into Northview Estates. Says it takes less than 5 minutes to drive that route from River Ag to Chad Isaak’s residence. Says Isaak didn’t hide, close the shades or make any sudden movements when he was watching Maddies and Kromberg on scene taking photos of Isaak’s truck.

9:36 a.m.: Witness called — Aaron Matties, McLean County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Highlights training and experience in law enforcement.

Witness Aaron Matties (no photo)

Matties says asked on April 4 to get camera footage from River Ag in Washburn. Went with Krohmer to Chad Isaak’s home to obtain photos of Isaak’s vehicle. This was about 9:45 a.m., on April 4. Krohmer took the photos. At one point, Krohmer stepped back and moved away from the scene. That action indicated to him something wasn’t right. Krohmer motioned to him that things were OK. testifies he saw Chad Isaak looking out his home window at him and Krohmer.

When the two returned to the office, they compared the photos taken at the trailer court and the images in the ‘Be On The Lookout’ (BOLO) bulletins. He noticed the similarity in the rust spots, mud spots, logo decal, tire rims. He concluded the images of the vehicle in the BOLO bulletins and the photos they took that morning of April 4 of Chad Isaak’s vehicle were all of the same vehicle.

From 10:15 a.m. April 4 until 11:30 p.m. April 4, officers were at Chad Isaak’s location to preserve the scene for investigators.

9:35 a.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Walstad says Krohmer had a chance to get a variety of videos from other businesses and businesses along the multiple paths of entry into the trailer park but did not do so. Krohmer says yes.

9:27 a.m.: The trial resumes with re-direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Krohmer says there are multiple routes to get to Chad Isaak’s home from River Ag. Says Unistop Superpumper surveillance camera would likely show the turn into the trailer park. Says there are other ways to get into the trailer park from River Age without going by the Unistop. There are also ways into the trailer park in general without going from the Unistop.

Says the use of force at the traffic stop was necessary because, in part, the severity of the quadruple homicide and not knowing the suspect’s state of mind. Says the smirk was something that stood out and stayed in his mind. Says he did not enter the height and weight of Isaak into his arrest report. He personally did not know the height and weight of Chad Isaak.

9:26 a.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

9:02 a.m.: Cross-examination of Krohmer by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Krohmer requested surveillance video from River Ag on April 3. Says he was told he could pick up the video on the morning of April 4. Left River Ag at 9:35 a.m. and the photos of Isaak’s vehicle were taken at 9:45 a.m.

Walstad asks Krohmer to draw on a map the most logical route from River Ag to Chad Isaak’s home in the trailer court.

Krohmer says Isaak didn’t hide or close the blinds or do anything reflexive when he saw Isaak watching him from the window.

Says he had seen Chad Isaak as a patient three times.

Krohmer says Chad Isaak’s walk was fast-paced. Walstad suggests he was walking in a manner similar to an exercise walk. Says when he viewed the RJR video, the decision had already been made to make the traffic stop.

Krohmer acknowledges numerous officers, several marked police vehicles, an armored vehicle and a helicopter were all involved in the traffic stop. Krohmer said it was a show of force. Says commanded Isaak to get out of the vehicle, get down on his knees, lay down on the pavement and then he was handcuffed. Says at no point in the process did he resist. Says Isaak’s dog was also in the truck and the dog got out when Isaak got out. Krohmer says he talked to Isaak and Isaak specifically mentioned taking the dog to his neighbors. Says about 25 people were ultimately involved in the stop.

In Krohmer’s later arrest report for Isaak, it states Isaak was 76 inches in height and weight at 220 pounds.

On April 8, Krohmer requested surveillance video from the Unistop Superpumper station for April 1, 2019, 8:50 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. Says he reviewed the video for the pickup truck but did not observe one in the video he reviewed. Says he did not request videos from several other businesses in Washburn for April 1, 2019, or video from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center showing Highway 83 on April 1, 2019.

Says he did not put the “smirk” observation into his report. Says it wasn’t put in his report because he probably forgot about it or was too busy.

8:36 a.m.: Witness recalled – Justin Krohmer, McLean County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Testifies on the morning of April 4 around 9:45 a.m., he and another deputy went to Chad Isaak’s trailer in Northview Estates in Washburn to take photos of Isaak’s white Ford pickup. Says he noticed Chad Isaak watching him from his home window.

Witness Justin Krohmer (no photo)

Krohmer went to Isaak for chiropractic services in the past. Says Isaak knew he was in law enforcement.

After getting the photos, they went back to the law enforcement center in Washburn to compare the photos with the ones on the second ‘Be On The Lookout’ bulletin received on April 2.

 

[Seattle1]

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS

Day 7 - Live Trial Blog Continued :

Krohmer went to Isaak for chiropractic services in the past. Says Isaak knew he was in law enforcement.

After getting the photos, they went back to the law enforcement center in Washburn to compare the photos with the ones on the second ‘Be On The Lookout’ bulletin received on April 2.

Photos taken of Chad Isaak’s truck at his trailer home in Washburn on April 4

Photo of the suspect vehicle from video (top) and a photo of Chad Isaak’s truck at his trailer home in Washburn on April 4
Says he found similarities between the photos he took and those in the BOLO message: The rust in the rear wheel well, same make and model, logo sticker in the rear, the tire rims, the dirt spot or smear on the front right bumper.

Asked a sheriff’s deputy to begin surveillance of Isaak. He says he alerted his superiors of what he found. He also contacted BCI agents about what he found. Says BCI, Mandan Police and other agencies told him they were on their way to Washburn.

Says he knew Isaak had appointments that afternoon of April 4 so law enforcement decided to let Isaak travel to work and initiate a traffic stop of Isaak at that time.

Says he reviewed a video of the suspect in RJR on April 1, 2019. Says the similarities between the person in the view and the walk of Chad Isaak were the same. Says he’s seen Isaak walk on Main Avenue near his business in Washburn and walk his dog near his house. Says Isaak has a very distinct walk — wide strides with wide arm swings up and down, like a cross-country skier. Says he walks fast. He’s seen him walk many times in Washburn. Says he saw Chad perhaps once a week. Says he’s seen him out walking “maybe 50, 60 times.” Testifies he thought the walk of the suspect in RJR was the same as that of Chad Isaac.

Isaak was stopped driving in his pickup around 3:45 p.m. on April 4 in Washburn. Says about 6-8 law enforcement personnel were involved in the traffic stop. Says he and others noticed what he called “a slight smirk to us” as he was ordered to lay down on the ground. Says that’s not a normal response when someone is asked to lay on the ground during an arrest.

Says after he told Isaak he was being detained for questioning, Isaak asked if they could make sure that his dog was taken care of.

Says Isaak was put in the back seat of a patrol car and transported to the McLean County Sheriff’s Office.



8:33 a.m.: The Chad Isaak trial has resumed, Judge David Reich presiding. The court is going over trial housekeeping issues.

 

[KidonGadol]

Day 7 of trial focuses on knife found in Isaak home, photos of injuries | KX NEWS

Aug 12, 2021

“Given your training and experience, was it interesting to you that you found a knife in the washing machine?” asked Prosecuting Attorney Karlei Neufeld.
“Yes, it was,” said Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Matt Hiatt.
“Why?” said Neufeld.
“The knife I located was large, it was around 14 inches long,” said Hiatt.

A knife with a bent tip in the washer, wire saws located in the kitchen, an orange hoodie in the dryer that matched what the suspect was wearing and a chiropractor, investigators say, moved appointments the day of the murders.

=========================================
How does someone have a 356 mmL knife in a washing machine ? What's going to happen on spin cycle ?? absolute Nuts.

Easy.. it's a folding type with a plastic handle - there's a photo of it in the news report. This knife in the washer - possibly along with clothes.. that had me confused. THis is NOT a normal act. You might put a knife under a running tap if it were dirty. Not have it in a washing machine. Perhaps it was thrown there in a lazy attempt to keep it out of sight.

There is also this - "late in the day, a supervisory special agent with BCI testified that Isaak’s freezer was searched and inside that freezer was a plastic container with broken-down parts of a handgun that investigators believe to be the murder weapon. Because that testimony took place late in the day, the defense has not had the opportunity to cross-examine that witness yet."

Given that the accused had a "murder capable" - my words - knife sitting in a washing machine bottom - I'd start to believe almost anything about that handgun. I'd love to know if it were an auto pistol or revolver because that makes all the difference with the projectiles found on site an in the bodies. Most importantly were the firing pin (or hammer pin for a revolver) and the barrel there too ; or were they missing ? If those parts are missing it's looking like the finger of doom..

Most police forces treat any knife under 100mm or 4" nominal as a pocket knife and you'd be doing well to get charged for carrying such (airline flights excluded) . But at 150mm and above it is potentially an offensive weapon because it can easily inflict a fatal wound.

I'd also be interested to know if a body holster was found that would fit the handgun found broken down in the freezer.

KG

 

[Seattle1]

Photo of gun pieces found in the refrigerator's top freezer at Chad Isaak’s home during the April 4 search

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS

 

[dgolden]

Wellllll hmmm. I think all of the doubt that has been culminating in my mind is starting to dissipate after seeing the photos of this clothing in the dryer. I know it’s not enough to convict him on but, if he didn’t do it, what a massive coincidence. Too massive in my mind. Great post. Thank you.

This is a continuing story and will be updated as new details develop. Keep checking back for the latest information available. Updates from previous days are at the end of this report. Live streaming of the trial is here. Other articles are also available here.

Aug 12, 2021 - DAY 7 - LIVE TRIAL BLOG

Thursday, August 12

4:31 p.m.: Judge David Reich recesses the case for the day. The proceedings will resume on Friday, August 13 at 8:30 a.m.

3:41 p.m.: Witness called — Arnie Rummel, Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent. Details his training and experience in law enforcement. Stationed by BCI in Jamestown. Has been involved in investigating 85 homicides in his 39-year career.

Witness Arnie Rummel
Rummel discusses how law enforcement processes a crime scene. Look for things out of the ordinary, things that were brought to a crime scene, things that are missing from a crime scene. On April 1, 2019, was assigned to assist in processing the RJR crime scene and supervise the case as it progressed. After being informed of the particulars at the crime scene, he recognized he would need a lot of agents to work the crime scene. Says he arrived at RJR around 10:00 a.m., on April 1, 2019. When he arrived, the crime scene had been secured. Noticed the crime scene inside was messy, things had been strewn around. Testifies all agents on scene took precautions to prevent cross-contamination of evidence and that they all followed proper procedures at the scene.

Worked with special agent Joe Arenz throughout the case in a support mode. Says a drone was dispatched to help document the scene from the air and possibly help look for evidence. Also coordinated agents to canvas the area to look for video evidence and interview people who might be potential witnesses. Used viideo evidence from businesses to help identify the suspect and provide information on the suspect’s movement and clothing.

Says he noticed while he was near and in RJR, he wore hunter orange. When he left the area and was going away from RJR, he was wearing dark or black clothing. The change of clothing was significant because wearing hunter orange indicates a person is out hunting, he was hunting people. Then he changes to dark afterward because he now doesn’t want to be seen. This indicated to Rummel a particular mindset of the suspect — he went out to kill.

Used the Big O Tires video and saw the suspect by a fence behind the store, so they went annd measured the height of the fence and were able to determine his height based on his placement by the fence. They estimated a six foot tall person.

Says it was significant they they didn’t find shell casings and clothing. From that, they surmised he took it all with him so it couldn’t be found.

Says they were looking for a white Ford F-150 pickup with an extended cab with rust spots. There are a lot of white pickups in ND, but they were looking for a specific truck that had a particular rust pattern on the driver side rear wheel well based on the surveillance videos.

Rummel says he was notified a Washburn deputy was confident a truck in the community was similar to the suspect truck being sought. Went to Washburn on April 4. Arrived about 3:30 p.m.. or 4:00 p.m.

Watched the traffic stop that detained Chad Isaak. Felt the fact Isaak was smiling when he was detained was “weird.” With a lot of guns pointed at him, he wouldn’t expect the person to smile. Felt the large number of responding officers was appropriate because they were dealing with a suspect that may have killed several people, so they didn’t know what his mindset would be in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Says search warrants were obtained for Chad Isaak, his business, his pickup and for his residence. The searches took place at slightly different times.

Chad Isaak’s residence was searched on April 4. Rummel says they were searching for items that would connect Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. Looking for guns, ammunition, shell casings, fibers for clothing that might match the clothing in the video. Looking for hunter orange clothing, camouflage clothing and a knife.

Rummel says they did find most of the things they were looking for. It’s significant because they are pieces that tie Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. They found an orange sweatshirt, dark clothing, dark gloves, knives, dark shoes. Those were things. Says they didn’t find blood, but says everything was bathed in bleach and bleach destroys blood. Found in the freezer portions of a Ruger handgun in a plastic container labeled “Chad’s veg soup” in the back of the freezer. Says when he opened the container, it smelled of bleach. Also located a dark-handled knife, and some pocket saws that were similiar to the one found at RJR. Says investigators, and through experience, always look in freezers because people tend to hide things in their freezers.

Photo of gun pieces found in the refridgerator’s top freezer at Chad Isaak’s home during the April 4 search
Rummel says bleach destroys blood evidence and says bleach was evident throughout the house. Found it odd that the portions of the handgun found in the freezer were bleached. Says people normally don’t bleach their handguns.

Rummel says the Ruger revolver holds up to 8 bullets if you have a particular cylinder, and it holds the shell casings. The gun barrel and cylinder were missing. Crime testing on bullets can be traced back to a particular barrel, so he felt it was significant that the barrel was missing.



3:41 p.m.: The trial resumes.

3:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

3:38 p.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith didn’t include the smell of bleach in his report because he couldn’t seize the smell for evidence. Also didn’t write down he found some sticky notes as “odd.”

3:37 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Says he observed a knife in the washing machine. He did not retrieve it because he was called to Chad Isaak’s business to help with that search. He told Matt Hiatt about what he saw in the washing machine.

3:32 p.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith discusses his cybercrime expertise with Quick. Smith says lint from the dryer was also collected as potential evidence. Says helped search Chad Isaak’s office where a computer was seized for evidence.

3:04 p.m.: Witness called — Jesse Smith, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Based in Fargo. Details his experience and training. Does computer forensics and works in cybercrimes.


Witness Jesse Smith
He extracted information from cellphones and assisted in a search warrant. Nothing significant came from the cellphone searches. Assisted in executing a search warrant on Chad Isaak’s residence. Wanted to assist based on his cybercrime and forensics experience. Saw the RJR video of the suspect in the April 1, 2019 killings. During the search, he extracted information from a cellphone found in the residence. Nothing significant came from that search. Smith testifies he noticed a strong odor of bleach in the house.

Searched the entryway of the trailer where the washer and dryer were located. Smith says he found items in the dryer and some towels in the washing machine. When he opened the dryer, he saw a blaze orange hoodie with pockets, similar to the one worn by the suspect on video surveillance.

Photo of blaze orange jacket and black pants found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s residence during April 4 search
Other items found in the dryer were an orange black jacket, black pullover, two black jackets, black pants, reversible face mask, black shoes and socks. Says the fleece reversible face mask is designed with camouflage print on one side and blaze orange on the other and can be worn with either side showing. Says the mask appeared to be similar to the face masks seen in the surveillance videos from April 1, 2019.

Reversible face mask found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home

Shoes found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home during April 4 search
Smith says the suspect, in the surveillance videos, was wearing a camouflage mask and in others a blaze orange mask. Says the reversible face mask found in the dryer on both sides appeared to match the ones worn by the suspect in surveillance videos. Also found black shoes in the dryer that appeared similar to the ones the suspect was wearing in the April 1 surveillance videos.

While searching Chad Isaak’s home, says he read some of the sticky notes and that they seemed “odd” to him. Also saw socks and gloves hanging and drying throughout the home.



3:03 p.m.: The Chad Isaak trial resumes, Judge David Reich presiding.

2:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls an afternoon recess. The trial will resume at 3:00 p.m.

2:32 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Hiatt says he helped canvas areas behind businesses in Mandan near RJR because the videos might have suggested there might be evidence there. Nothing was found. Hiatt’s other interviews with RJR employees did not result in any additional evidence. Says, despite the number of people involved in the search, he followed standard protocol and that it wasn’t difficult to move around the trailer. Says the disorganization of the home did not affect his ability to conduct a search of the home. Says a white t-shirt seen in a photo of one room did not match the orange hoodie authorities were looking for. Orange clothing that matched what they were looking for was collected. Says the location of the sticky note near a Bible didn’t invalidate the interest he had in the note. The second search was conducted a few days after the first search. The Mandan Police Department had requested a second search warrant to look for remnants of firearms, ammunition and other items. Nothing was found during the second search. Says all the clients Chad Isaak saw on April 1, 2019, were all in the afternoon. Says he was informed he had an appointment and couldn’t make the morning appointments on April 1, 2019.

2:12 p.m.: Trial resumes. Cross-examination of Matt Hiatt by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Hiatt interviewed potential witnesses in Mandan on April 3 related to the killings. Also canvassed for evidence — tire tracks, footprints and such — in Mandan with about 5 other agents. On April 4, interviewed other potential witnesses. Says he and others secured the Chad Isaak residence at 4:30 p.m. Says he assisted in the execution of the search warrant. Reviewing the sticky notes, Hiatt recalled from memory a sticky note about fighting only the battles you can win. Defense attorney Bruce Quick has Hiatt read the full note, “You are not the Caped Crusader for justice. Only fight those battles the Lord tells you to.” The other notes, “This is the time of year when you do stupid things,” was on a board next to an open Bible. Hiatt acknowledges several knives were seized at Isaak’s home. Hiatt was involved in a second search of Isaak’s home on April 9 or 10 using special sniffing dogs. That search was looking for guns and ammunition. Says nothing was seized in that search.

 

[KidonGadol]

This is a continuing story and will be updated as new details develop. Keep checking back for the latest information available. Updates from previous days are at the end of this report. Live streaming of the trial is here. Other articles are also available here.

Aug 12, 2021 - DAY 7 - LIVE TRIAL BLOG

Thursday, August 12

4:31 p.m.: Judge David Reich recesses the case for the day. The proceedings will resume on Friday, August 13 at 8:30 a.m.

3:41 p.m.: Witness called — Arnie Rummel, Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent. Details his training and experience in law enforcement. Stationed by BCI in Jamestown. Has been involved in investigating 85 homicides in his 39-year career.

Witness Arnie Rummel
Rummel discusses how law enforcement processes a crime scene. Look for things out of the ordinary, things that were brought to a crime scene, things that are missing from a crime scene. On April 1, 2019, was assigned to assist in processing the RJR crime scene and supervise the case as it progressed. After being informed of the particulars at the crime scene, he recognized he would need a lot of agents to work the crime scene. Says he arrived at RJR around 10:00 a.m., on April 1, 2019. When he arrived, the crime scene had been secured. Noticed the crime scene inside was messy, things had been strewn around. Testifies all agents on scene took precautions to prevent cross-contamination of evidence and that they all followed proper procedures at the scene.

Worked with special agent Joe Arenz throughout the case in a support mode. Says a drone was dispatched to help document the scene from the air and possibly help look for evidence. Also coordinated agents to canvas the area to look for video evidence and interview people who might be potential witnesses. Used viideo evidence from businesses to help identify the suspect and provide information on the suspect’s movement and clothing.

Says he noticed while he was near and in RJR, he wore hunter orange. When he left the area and was going away from RJR, he was wearing dark or black clothing. The change of clothing was significant because wearing hunter orange indicates a person is out hunting, he was hunting people. Then he changes to dark afterward because he now doesn’t want to be seen. This indicated to Rummel a particular mindset of the suspect — he went out to kill.

Used the Big O Tires video and saw the suspect by a fence behind the store, so they went annd measured the height of the fence and were able to determine his height based on his placement by the fence. They estimated a six foot tall person.

Says it was significant they they didn’t find shell casings and clothing. From that, they surmised he took it all with him so it couldn’t be found.

Says they were looking for a white Ford F-150 pickup with an extended cab with rust spots. There are a lot of white pickups in ND, but they were looking for a specific truck that had a particular rust pattern on the driver side rear wheel well based on the surveillance videos.

Rummel says he was notified a Washburn deputy was confident a truck in the community was similar to the suspect truck being sought. Went to Washburn on April 4. Arrived about 3:30 p.m.. or 4:00 p.m.

Watched the traffic stop that detained Chad Isaak. Felt the fact Isaak was smiling when he was detained was “weird.” With a lot of guns pointed at him, he wouldn’t expect the person to smile. Felt the large number of responding officers was appropriate because they were dealing with a suspect that may have killed several people, so they didn’t know what his mindset would be in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Says search warrants were obtained for Chad Isaak, his business, his pickup and for his residence. The searches took place at slightly different times.

Chad Isaak’s residence was searched on April 4. Rummel says they were searching for items that would connect Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. Looking for guns, ammunition, shell casings, fibers for clothing that might match the clothing in the video. Looking for hunter orange clothing, camouflage clothing and a knife.

Rummel says they did find most of the things they were looking for. It’s significant because they are pieces that tie Chad Isaak to the RJR crime scene. They found an orange sweatshirt, dark clothing, dark gloves, knives, dark shoes. Those were things. Says they didn’t find blood, but says everything was bathed in bleach and bleach destroys blood. Found in the freezer portions of a Ruger handgun in a plastic container labeled “Chad’s veg soup” in the back of the freezer. Says when he opened the container, it smelled of bleach. Also located a dark-handled knife, and some pocket saws that were similiar to the one found at RJR. Says investigators, and through experience, always look in freezers because people tend to hide things in their freezers.

Photo of gun pieces found in the refridgerator’s top freezer at Chad Isaak’s home during the April 4 search
Rummel says bleach destroys blood evidence and says bleach was evident throughout the house. Found it odd that the portions of the handgun found in the freezer were bleached. Says people normally don’t bleach their handguns.

Rummel says the Ruger revolver holds up to 8 bullets if you have a particular cylinder, and it holds the shell casings. The gun barrel and cylinder were missing. Crime testing on bullets can be traced back to a particular barrel, so he felt it was significant that the barrel was missing.



3:41 p.m.: The trial resumes.

3:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

3:38 p.m.: Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith didn’t include the smell of bleach in his report because he couldn’t seize the smell for evidence. Also didn’t write down he found some sticky notes as “odd.”

3:37 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Says he observed a knife in the washing machine. He did not retrieve it because he was called to Chad Isaak’s business to help with that search. He told Matt Hiatt about what he saw in the washing machine.

3:32 p.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith discusses his cybercrime expertise with Quick. Smith says lint from the dryer was also collected as potential evidence. Says helped search Chad Isaak’s office where a computer was seized for evidence.

3:04 p.m.: Witness called — Jesse Smith, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Based in Fargo. Details his experience and training. Does computer forensics and works in cybercrimes.


Witness Jesse Smith
He extracted information from cellphones and assisted in a search warrant. Nothing significant came from the cellphone searches. Assisted in executing a search warrant on Chad Isaak’s residence. Wanted to assist based on his cybercrime and forensics experience. Saw the RJR video of the suspect in the April 1, 2019 killings. During the search, he extracted information from a cellphone found in the residence. Nothing significant came from that search. Smith testifies he noticed a strong odor of bleach in the house.

Searched the entryway of the trailer where the washer and dryer were located. Smith says he found items in the dryer and some towels in the washing machine. When he opened the dryer, he saw a blaze orange hoodie with pockets, similar to the one worn by the suspect on video surveillance.

Photo of blaze orange jacket and black pants found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s residence during April 4 search
Other items found in the dryer were an orange black jacket, black pullover, two black jackets, black pants, reversible face mask, black shoes and socks. Says the fleece reversible face mask is designed with camouflage print on one side and blaze orange on the other and can be worn with either side showing. Says the mask appeared to be similar to the face masks seen in the surveillance videos from April 1, 2019.

Reversible face mask found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home

Shoes found in the dryer at Chad Isaak’s home during April 4 search
Smith says the suspect, in the surveillance videos, was wearing a camouflage mask and in others a blaze orange mask. Says the reversible face mask found in the dryer on both sides appeared to match the ones worn by the suspect in surveillance videos. Also found black shoes in the dryer that appeared similar to the ones the suspect was wearing in the April 1 surveillance videos.

While searching Chad Isaak’s home, says he read some of the sticky notes and that they seemed “odd” to him. Also saw socks and gloves hanging and drying throughout the home.



3:03 p.m.: The Chad Isaak trial resumes, Judge David Reich presiding.

2:40 p.m.: Judge David Reich calls an afternoon recess. The trial will resume at 3:00 p.m.

2:32 p.m.: Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Hiatt says he helped canvas areas behind businesses in Mandan near RJR because the videos might have suggested there might be evidence there. Nothing was found. Hiatt’s other interviews with RJR employees did not result in any additional evidence. Says, despite the number of people involved in the search, he followed standard protocol and that it wasn’t difficult to move around the trailer. Says the disorganization of the home did not affect his ability to conduct a search of the home. Says a white t-shirt seen in a photo of one room did not match the orange hoodie authorities were looking for. Orange clothing that matched what they were looking for was collected. Says the location of the sticky note near a Bible didn’t invalidate the interest he had in the note. The second search was conducted a few days after the first search. The Mandan Police Department had requested a second search warrant to look for remnants of firearms, ammunition and other items. Nothing was found during the second search. Says all the clients Chad Isaak saw on April 1, 2019, were all in the afternoon. Says he was informed he had an appointment and couldn’t make the morning appointments on April 1, 2019.

2:12 p.m.: Trial resumes. Cross-examination of Matt Hiatt by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Hiatt interviewed potential witnesses in Mandan on April 3 related to the killings. Also canvassed for evidence — tire tracks, footprints and such — in Mandan with about 5 other agents. On April 4, interviewed other potential witnesses. Says he and others secured the Chad Isaak residence at 4:30 p.m. Says he assisted in the execution of the search warrant. Reviewing the sticky notes, Hiatt recalled from memory a sticky note about fighting only the battles you can win. Defense attorney Bruce Quick has Hiatt read the full note, “You are not the Caped Crusader for justice. Only fight those battles the Lord tells you to.” The other notes, “This is the time of year when you do stupid things,” was on a board next to an open Bible. Hiatt acknowledges several knives were seized at Isaak’s home. Hiatt was involved in a second search of Isaak’s home on April 9 or 10 using special sniffing dogs. That search was looking for guns and ammunition. Says nothing was seized in that search.

Wellllll hmmm. I think all of the doubt that has been culminating in my mind is starting to dissipate after seeing the photos of this clothing in the dryer. I know it’s not enough to convict him on but, if he didn’t do it, what a massive coincidence. Too massive in my mind. Great post. Thank you.

It is not so much the photos of the dryer but the stripped black Ruger revolver in the bottom of a freezer (in a tupperware container ) with both the barrel and the cylinder missing. Those are critical parts to match to any bullets at the crime scene - primarily the barrel. The barrel of a revolver has a forcing cone down at the entry. The way that that cone is machined to the rifling will have subtle variations that will affect the rifling engraving on the projectile.. this varies from gun to gun even of the same production day. Nobody takes a barrel off a revolver unless he 's a gunsmith or if he has something to hide. KG

 

[KidonGadol]

https://www.kxnet.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2021/08/gun12.png?w=900


It is not so much the photos of the dryer but the stripped black Ruger revolver in the bottom of a freezer (in a tupperware container ) with both the barrel and the cylinder missing. Those are critical parts to match to any bullets at the crime scene - primarily the barrel. The barrel of a revolver has a forcing cone down at the entry. The way that that cone is machined to the rifling will have subtle variations that will affect the rifling engraving on the projectile.. this varies from gun to gun even of the same production day. Nobody takes a barrel off a revolver unless he 's a gunsmith or if he has something to hide. KG

 

[Gardenista]

Wellllll hmmm. I think all of the doubt that has been culminating in my mind is starting to dissipate after seeing the photos of this clothing in the dryer. I know it’s not enough to convict him on but, if he didn’t do it, what a massive coincidence. Too massive in my mind. Great post. Thank you.

Agree. It would be one thing to find similar items in closets/drawers, but to find ALL of the clothing/shoes in the dryer, the knife in the washer, the gun parts and the house reeking of bleach, the truck matching, canceling appointments, the trial run, etc.. makes doubt no longer reasonable. Defense needs to pull something out of their hat or their client is going to prison for life.

 

[Seattle1]

Agree. It would be one thing to find similar items in closets/drawers, but to find ALL of the clothing/shoes in the dryer, the knife in the washer, the gun parts and the house reeking of bleach, the truck matching, canceling appointments, the trial run, etc.. makes doubt no longer reasonable. Defense needs to pull something out of their hat or their client is going to prison for life.

I'd still like to know why! IMO, there's either a woman, money, or both lurking somewhere here...

Perhaps it had to do with the owner's affair partner? CI, a divorced, available, professional may have expressed interest in the AP and she turned him down.

CI angry, gunning for the RJR owner and the others were collateral damage?

And then it wasn't enough to kill the owner, he overkills the only female victim -- stabbing her 48 times in addition to shooting her in the chest.

The guy's a savage!

MOO

ETA: Robert Fakler was allegedly having an affair with Lisa Nelson at the time of his death.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

@Seattle1 I was thinking similarly -- like maybe CTI knows the affair partner and feels protective of her somehow, and therefore upset with Fakler for some reason. Religion? Affairs are "sin".

Maybe she's a an ex of his, although it seems like that would have been revealed as a motive already. But what if she's connected, in reality or in desire, to someone CTI simply knows but feels strongly about? No one might see that connection until CTI reveals it.

All MOO, just speculation.

 

[KidonGadol]

I'd still like to know why! IMO, there's either a woman, money, or both lurking somewhere here...

Perhaps it had to do with the owner's affair partner? CI, a divorced, available, professional may have expressed interest in the AP and she turned him down.

CI angry, gunning for the RJR owner and the others were collateral damage?

And then it wasn't enough to kill the owner, he overkills the only female victim -- stabbing her 48 times in addition to shooting her in the chest.

The guy's a savage!

MOO

ETA: Robert Fakler was allegedly having an affair with Lisa Nelson at the time of his death.

My tuppenceworth on motive.

1 It seems the Faklers were rough brutal people in terms of evictions and rental collections in the past.
I'd guess that CTI had seen something nasty up in Washburn of that type and wanted to revenge it. There was a note about revenge on a posit note near a bible that the investigating officers found in his house. He might have been friendly with someone in the trailer park who had say a pit bull or a Doberman (a friendly dog, minding its own business) and they were turned out when the change of management of the park in Washburn occurred - there was an issue of prohibited dog breeds.

Perhaps that person did it tough afterwards and CIT blamed Fakler or the Cobbs for it.

2. Takeaway two. Without interested civilians, this case would likely never have been solved. Angela Davis at McD's made the greatest contribution by her detailled observations an 911 call and the chap at the tire company , by doing a back review that he was not even asked to do, found a pattern - the dry run 7 days before.

So never look down your nose at someone doing a low end job ie "working people". They might avenge you when you are lying murdered in the Rose Garden. In the big city this would have simply turned into a cold case - I feel it in my bones.

KG

 

[Seattle1]

My tuppenceworth on motive.

1 It seems the Faklers were rough brutal people in terms of evictions and rental collections in the past.
I'd guess that CTI had seen something nasty up in Washburn of that type and wanted to revenge it. There was a note about revenge on a posit note near a bible that the investigating officers found in his house. He might have been friendly with someone in the trailer park who had say a pit bull or a Doberman (a friendly dog, minding its own business) and they were turned out when the change of management of the park in Washburn occurred - there was an issue of prohibited dog breeds.

Perhaps that person did it tough afterwards and CIT blamed Fakler or the Cobbs for it.

2. Takeaway two. Without interested civilians, this case would likely never have been solved. Angela Davis at McD's made the greatest contribution by her detailled observations an 911 call and the chap at the tire company , by doing a back review that he was not even asked to do, found a pattern - the dry run 7 days before.

So never look down your nose at someone doing a low end job ie "working people". They might avenge you when you are lying murdered in the Rose Garden. In the big city this would have simply turned into a cold case - I feel it in my bones.

KG

My second thought with money as the motive might be CI accepting the hit and/or murder for hire offer from the affair partner's former spouse.

I think the fantasy of being a "hit-man" might fulfill something CI thinks missing from his life. He's an odd duck.

Reportedly, the former spouse is a convicted felon. For all we know, he might currently be spending time with the department of corrections.

MOO

 

[Niner]

Friday, August 13th:
*Trial continues (Day 8) (@ 8:30am CT) – ND – Lois Ann Cobbs (45), employee; William Dee “Bill” Cobbs, Jr. (50), employee; Adam Fuehrer (42), employee; Robert John Fakler (52) co-owner (April 1, 2019, at RJR Maint. & Mgmt business, Mandan) - *Chad Trolon Isaak (44/now 47) arrested (4/4/19), charged (4/5/19) & arraigned (5/9/19) with 4 counts of murder (Felony AA), 1 count of burglary (Felony B), 1 count of concealment within a vehicle (Felony C) & 1 count of unauthorized use of vehicle (misdemeanor A). Plead not guilty. $1M Cash only bond.
Trial began on 8/2/21 with jury selection & ended 8/3/21 & trial began on 8/4/21. (8/2/21 to 8/6 & 8/9 to 8/13 & 8/16 to 8/20/21). 12 jurors & 2 alternates. 6 men & 6 women make up the jury with 1 man & 1 woman serving as alternates. Judge David Reich does not intend to sequester jurors.
Court info from 4/5/19 thru 7/16/21 & Jury selection (Day 1-2) 8/2/21-8/3/21 & Trial (Day 1-6) 8/4/21-8/11/21 reference post #601 here:
ND - Several bodies found at Mandan business, 1 April 2019 *Arrest* #2
8/12/21 Thursday, Trial Day 7: State witnesses: Justin Krohmer, McLean County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant returns to stand. Questioned by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. On April 2, 2019, received a “Be On The Lookout” (BOLO) email notice to watch for a suspect white pickup and a suspect. The notice had a picture of the vehicle & the suspect. Testified about photos of his F-150 truck. Cross-examination of Krohmer by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Aaron Matties, McLean County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Highlights training and experience in law enforcement. Matties says asked on April 4 to get camera footage from River Ag in Washburn. Direct by Austin Gunderson. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct by Austin Gunderson. Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Raymond Copeland, McLean County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Assisted in the apprehension of Chad Isaak on April 4 in Washburn. Says he felt it was odd, given the show of force, that Isaak was nonchalant & candid over the entire situation.
There is a lengthy conference with the judge by the defense and prosecution regarding the direction of testimony by the witness. Cross-examination by defense attorney Jesse Walstad. Re-direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Recalled — Joe Arenz, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Previously tstified on August 6 & August 9. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Arenz says, based on the video surveillance, law enforcement had only one suspect & one suspect vehicle they were tracking. Says law enforcement tracked the suspect vehicle up to Center, ND. Photos shown of Isaak taken by investigators on April 4 during a search of Isaak. Prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson is introducing the clothing collected from Isaak at the time he was detained on April 4: Sweater, undershirt, shoes, socks, hat. Arenz says they also took DNA swabs & fingernail clippings & fingerprints from Isaak. Cross-examination of Arenz by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Austin Gunderson. Matt Hiatt, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. He is assigned to the BCI Washburn field office. He was assigned to interview RJR employees on April 3, 2019. Cross-examination of Matt Hiatt by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Jesse Smith, Bureau of Criminal Investigation special agent. Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlie Neufeld. Based in Fargo. Does computer forensics & works in cybercrimes. He extracted information from cellphones & assisted in a search warrant. Cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Smith discusses his cybercrime expertise with Quick. Re-direct by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld. Re-cross-examination by defense attorney Bruce Quick. Arnie Rummel, Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent.Stationed by BCI in Jamestown. Has been involved in investigating 85 homicides in his 39-year career. Rummel discusses how law enforcement processes a crime scene. Worked with special agent Joe Arenz throughout the case in a support mode. Photo of gun pieces found in the refrigerator’s top freezer at Isaak’s home during the April 4 search shown. The trial continues 8/13/21.

 

[SeesSeas]

Yikes! Re: Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent Arnie Rummel.
Rummel needs to retire. MOO

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS
Friday, August 13

9:20 a.m.: The trial resumes, continuing with testimony by Arnie Rummel under cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Heck is asking Rummel to review reports submitted by investigators concerning the April 4 search of Chad Isaak’s home in Washburn. The focus is on how many agents mentioned in their reports the smell of bleach in the Isaak home. Rummel has testified earlier that he detected the smell of bleach everywhere in Chad Isaak’s home during the search.

9:19 a.m.: Judge David Reich calls for a one-minute stretch break.

8:55 a.m.: Cross-examination by defense attorney Luke Heck. Hummel testified he reviews reports for approval and other information related to the investigation. Says his job in the RJR investigation is oversight. Heck is focusing on report writing and report writing procedures. Asks is the rule of thumb in training for police writing is, “If it isn’t in the report, it didn’t happen.” Rummel disagrees on that. Says there are times later evidence may be found and the relevant information is added to the report.

Rummel says there were well over 100 reports by BCI investigators he reviewed and approved. He also wrote one report related to the RJR case, outlining his investigation on April 1-3 plus the search warrant.

In his report, Rummel said he smelled bleach on the gun and in the freezer. Acknowledges he did not say in the report there was the smell of bleach everywhere in the home.

Rummel acknowledges the numerous agents who were present during the search of Chad Isaak’s home wrote reports on the search. Defense attorney Heck presents Rummel with reports written by agents who searched the Chad Isaak home. Asks Rummel to review the reports. In BCI agent Joe Arenz’ report, Arenz reports the smell of bleach in the back bathroom of the Isaak home. In BCI agent Pat Lenertz’ report, it mentions the smell of bleach in the bathroom in the Isaak home. In BCI agent Matt Hiatt’s report, Hiatt does not mention the smell of bleach in the Isaak home. Another BCI agent report on the search does not mention the smell of bleach in the Chad Isaak home. A report by BCI agent Pat Helfrich doesn’t mention the smell of bleach in the Chad Isaak home. A report by BCI agent Smith did not mention the smell of bleach in the Isaak home.

8:33 a.m.: Direct examination by prosecuting attorney Karlei Neufeld of Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent Arnie Rummel.

 

[KidonGadol]

Yikes! Re: Bureau of Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent Arnie Rummel.
Rummel needs to retire. MOO

Chad Isaak trial: The latest | KX NEWS
Friday, August 13
.

Revolver appears to be a type called a RUGER LCR (go and compare web photos) .

What Einstein has forgotten is that if you remove the top works but leave the cylinder axis pin behind that has a unique length and dia which leads you via the Ruger mafr to the Calibre, rifling twist and rifling direction and number of lands back to the engravings on the fired projectiles.


Note too that the 38 spl version has a frame of type 7000 aircaft alloy but
a 357 magnum has a frame of type 400 stainless stl. 38 SPL and 357 magnum ammunition has the same bullet diameter (if indeed such was used ) so this frame material difference is important.

THis is clearly NOT the same as having a BBL but is goes a long way. I looked at some court footage on what they have and they do seem to have that pin. Clearly I am not just limiting my comments to Ytube - Rang Mandan police too .

I do get the impression from the footage that once the BCI realised they had no barrel or any chance of finding it , they threw in the towel.

Image attached is just a TYPICAL. It shows how all the serial number disappears if you dispose of the front frame assly and cylinder.

There is Ruger LCR wiki . You can find it.

Kidon G

 

[dgolden]

Finally got to watch all day today. Good day to watch. Does anyone know if there is a full copy of the witness list available, and/or when they intend to call the DNA expert(s) with the results from the swabs from the truck? I definitely want to make sure I am watching that day.

 

[KidonGadol]

Finally got to watch all day today. Good day to watch. Does anyone know if there is a full copy of the witness list available, and/or when they intend to call the DNA expert(s) with the results from the swabs from the truck? I definitely want to make sure I am watching that day.

If you are referring to the RJR truck that's a foregone conclusion. We know that blood from the victims will be found there. We also know the killer wore heavy gloves. We know that Chad I had zero cuts to his hands when examined.

If you are referring to the F150 up in Washburn...that's another matter. I believe Chad boy took a factory's entire production of bleach and swabbed his truck with it (and put it through the washing machine )

KG