The Chad Isaak case remains a chilling chapter in North Dakota's history. On April 1, 2019, police responded to a suspicious incident at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, North Dakota. There, they found four people viciously murdered, and the murderer at large.
Authorities soon arrested a local chiropractor named Chad Isaak, who was later sentenced to life in prison for the cold-blooded killings. Less than a year after being sentenced to life in prison for the RJR homicides, Chad Isaak took his own life in the North Dakota State Penitentiary.
Isaak killed Adam Fuehrer, Robert Fakler, Lois Cobb and William Cobb at their place of employment, RJR Maintenance & Management on April 1, 2019 in Mandan, North Dakota. Isaak refused to admit guilt or provide any motive.
His suicide means many questions about a horrific crime will never be answered. Many residents of the city of Washburn, where Chad Isaak lived, would rather not be associated with the convicted killer.
Victims of the crime:
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- Robert Fakler: Co-owner of RJR with wife Jackie Fakler, he was killed on April 1, 2019.
- Adam Fuehrer: A technician at RJR, killed on April 1, 2019.
- William Cobb: An employee at RJR and husband of Lois Cobb, he was killed on April 1, 2019.
- Lois Cobb: An employee at RJR and wife of William Cobb, she was killed on April 1, 2019.
The Victims' Families Speak
Four and a half years after his crimes, family members of convicted murderer Chad Isaak have chosen to speak out, exclusively on the Dakota Spotlight podcast. Family and friends of victims Robert Fakler, Adam Fuehrer, William Cobb, and Lois Cobb learned of the perpetrator’s death shortly after it occurred.
“I don’t think we will ever be able to 100 percent move forward. We just know how his family is feeling now. And that’s the most important thing is we know they’re grieving right now,” said Jamie Binstock, daughter of Robert Fakler.
They are still left with more questions than answers. In the final episode of the podcast "The Mandan Murders," the killer's mother and sisters speak out for the first time.
"We in no way want to take away from the victims or their families by sharing about Chad and our journey," the letter states, before continuing.
In Season 9 of the Dakota Spotlight true crime investigative podcast, host James Wolner will re-examine this recent case. His exploration is a personal one: He was working in Mandan at the time of the murders and joined the first police press conference, his first step into true-crime podcasting journalism. Follow along as Wolner re-examines the morning of the murders, the hunt for the killer, his arrest and trial.
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Key figures in the investigation and aftermath include:
- Joe Arenz: Special agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
- Jamie Binstock: Robert Fakler's daughter.
- Amy Cobb: William Cobb's adult daughter.
- Jackie Fakler: Robert Fakler's wife and co-owner of RJR.
- Melissa Fuehrer: Widow of RJR Maintenance & Management victim Adam Fuehrer.
- Gabriel Goter: Morton County assistant state’s attorney and lead prosecutor in the trial of Chad Isaak.
- Justin Krohmer: Detective at the time at the McLean County Sheriff's Office.
The Trial and Sentencing
During the trial, prosecutors laid out evidence that the jury agreed pointed to Isaak. The evidence included what analysts say was blood found on the door handles of Isaak’s pickup truck and upholstery, but no motive was ever produced, and now, the reason for the crimes may never be known.
“It still leaves the victims’ families and friends, you know his own family, with a number of unanswered questions,” said Gabrielle Goter, state’s attorney during the trial.
Last December, Judge David Reich sentenced Isaak to four consecutive life sentences with no opportunity for parole for the crimes. At the sentencing hearing, Isaak spoke to the court for the first and only time.
“I can honestly tell you I am not a murderer,” said defendant Chad Isaak at the December sentencing hearing.
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Isaak's Death and the Aftermath
Convicted murderer Chad Isaak is dead. Attorneys in the case said the crime was one of the worst the state has ever seen.
UPDATE: The State Forensic Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that Chad Isaak died by hanging.
At the McLean County Sheriff’s Office, word of Isaak’s death was just as surprising, but staff are focusing on the future.
“As far as moving on, like I said, I feel sorry for the victim’s families, yeah they got a conviction but closure as far as knowing why or any of that is going to go unanswered now that he decided to take his own life,” said McLean County Patrol Lieutenant Justin Krohmer.
There is one noticeable sign the town is beginning to move on. Isaak’s old chiropractic office has been remodeled and rented out for additional office space for the courthouse. The trailer where Isaak lived in Washburn, however, is still for sale.
North Dakota Prison Guard Fired
A North Dakota prison guard was fired over the suicide of a man who was serving life sentences for killing four people. Sgt. Deandre Adams violated corrections policy in failing to adequately check on Chad Isaak, according to a termination letter from the warden at North Dakota State Penitentiary.
Warden James Sayler noted that Adams had received two previous written reprimands, for failing to report that he had left a missing inmate in a recreational area and for not intervening when two prisoners were potentially exchanging contraband, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
An investigative report from the state Highway Patrol released last month found that Adams said he failed to adequately check on Isaak twice. It also said Isaak had covered his cell with cardboard.
Adams knew inmates were not allowed to cover their cell windows, but allowed it, as a “courtesy in case they were naked in their cells,” the report said.
Appeal Dismissed
ND Supreme Court Justices decided Thursday to dismiss convicted killer Chad Isaak’s appeal.
Isaak had been serving four life sentences in prison after a jury found him guilty of killing four RJR Maintenance and Management employees in 2019. He filed for appeal after the verdict but died by suicide at the North Dakota State Penitentiary in July 2022 before the appeal was decided.
The state argued Isaak’s death ended the appeal, as there was no live controversy left to discuss. Isaak’s attorneys argued for Justices to nullify the conviction. They said the case is not yet final.
Justices sided with the state and found the appeal moot. In the opinion Justices stated, “although a criminal defendant may have enjoyed a statutory right to appeal before his death, deceased individuals’ statutory rights cannot prevail over the constitutional rights of the living. Abatement of criminal convictions would foreclose victim’s rights to fair treatment under the law and to meaningfully participate in the criminal justice system.”
The conviction of Chad Isaak stands as issued by the district court.
| Victim | Age | Relationship to RJR |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Fakler | 52 | Co-owner |
| Adam Fuehrer | 42 | Employee |
| Bill Cobb | 50 | Employee |
| Lois Cobb | 45 | Employee |
Did Chad Isaak murder four people in a small town? | COURT TV
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