Man charged in mass murder at North Dakota workplace, motive still unclear
A 44-year-old man was charged on Friday in connection to a mass murder inside a North Dakota workplace, according to court documents.
Four people were found dead Monday morning at RJR Maintenance & Management, a property management company in Mandan, police said. The motive for the killings was unclear.
Chad Isaak, of Washburn — about 40 miles from Mandan — was charged with four counts of class AA felony murder, one count of burglary, one count of unlawful entry into or concealment within a vehicle and one count of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to court documents. According to the local ABC News affiliate WDAY, he's being held on $1 million cash bond.
Isaak's lawyer, Robert Quick, said that they were "aware of the heinous nature of the allegations against [Isaak]," and argued for a lower cash bond of $100,000 on the basis that Isaak had no criminal history and because he has lived in the region his whole life and has family there.
The judge, however, sided with the state, saying there "is an extreme safety concern for the community," as well as for the employees at RJR and the families associated with the series of events.
The causes of death have not been released, but the victims — the owner of the company and three employees — were all shot or stabbed, police said.
Isaak's car was identified at the scene of the shooting by surveillance cameras, officials said. Investigators later located the vehicle in Washburn.
He was arrested during a traffic stop Thursday, police said.
Evidence in the vehicle gave investigators enough probable cause to make an arrest, said Police Chief Jason Ziegler.
The location where the suspect lived was a mobile home park managed by RJR, but police are not sure if that is part of the motive, Ziegler said.
Isaak is being held at the McClean County Jail. He is scheduled to make an appearance in court Friday afternoon.
Among the victims were Lois Cobb, 45, and her husband, William Cobb, 50, who worked at the company.
"I don't know how it happened," Cobb's daughter, Briann Miller, told The Associated Press. "I'm left in the dark still. None of this makes any sense. All I know is my parents are gone."
Miller, of Illinois, told the AP her mother and stepfather moved from Illinois to North Dakota six years ago and recently purchased their dream home.
"They were true soulmates, "Miller told ABC Springfield, Illinois, affiliate WICS.
The other victims were owner Robert Fakler, 52, and employee Adam Fuehrer, 42, said police.
Ziegler said the crime "was very specific to the victims that were involved."
"I don't think any community across this great country could ever imagine something like this happen in their backyard," Ziegler said, calling the crime "devastating" for the community.
The chief called RJR Maintenance & Management a "reputable company in our area."
There were security cameras inside the building but the chief did not say if the crime was on video.
ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.
