A trusted farmhand is accused of killing an 80-year-old farmer, shooting him in the back of the head while he shucked corn, Minnesota authorities say.
Travis Joel Bauer, 46, is charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 20, 2022, killing of Dennis Duane Weitzenkamp, according to recently filed court documents.
Police responded to a 911 call from Bauer at 2:35 p.m. on the day of Weitzenkamp’s death and headed to the scene in rural Winthrop, documents say.
Bauer told investigators that it had been a normal day. The men worked until lunchtime, then went to their respective homes to eat, after which they returned and got back to work, documents said.
After lunch, Bauer said that he needed to pick up a few things from a NAPA auto parts store and happened to drive by Weitzenkamp during the errand. They spoke briefly and both men drove off, Bauer told investigators.
When he got back to the farm, Bauer saw Weitzenkamp sitting in a nearby shed. He called out to Weitzenkamp several times, but he didn’t respond and Bauer called 911, he told police.
Winthrop police chief Logan Anderson was the first to arrive and found Weitzenkamp in the shed, slumped over in a chair where he had been shucking corn, documents said. Blood pooled on the ground from a wound on the back of his head, which an autopsy later revealed was caused by a small-caliber bullet, police said.
Investigators say Bauer — who “had helped (Weitzenkamp) farm his land for many years and was considered part of the family” — shot him from behind.
Cell phone location data and surveillance video contradicted Bauer’s story. When confronted with this, he “stated he was nervous and lied because he wanted to ‘keep his story straight,’” documents say. Further, investigators aid they found gunshot residue on Bauer’s clothes. He said he hadn’t fired a gun in three weeks, but residue “is generally not expected to be found on clothing that has been washed, exposed to the elements, or subject to physical activity,” police said.
There were no signs of theft at the scene, nothing to suggest that anyone besides Bauer and Weitzenkamp had been at the farm that day, according to documents.
Bauer was deep in debt, police said, with bills piling up. The day of the killing, Bauer received multiple calls warning him that if he didn’t catch up on house payments, he would soon lose his home, police said.
Exactly how much money Bauer stood to gain isn’t clear, but “trust documents were … discovered indicating that (Bauer) would receive significant financial benefit from (Weitzenkamp’s) death,” investigators said.
If convicted, Bauer could face up to 40 years in prison.
Winthrop is roughly 74 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis.