Authorities in three states are investigating a string of grisly crimes, beginning with a brutal killing inside a Minnesota manufacturing plant that stunned employees and left a young welder dead.
Officials in Wright County said the violence erupted shortly after sunrise Monday inside Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato, where 40-year-old David Bruce Delong allegedly ambushed a coworker he had secretly targeted for an extended period.
Prosecutors charged him with second degree intentional murder after investigators reviewed surveillance video showing him walking away from his own station, approaching 20-year-old welder Amber Czech, and grabbing her sledgehammer before repeatedly striking her.
Court filings state that Czech collapsed to the concrete floor after the first blow, and Delong allegedly hit her four additional times before leaving the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, he reportedly approached another employee and delivered a chilling message: “I hit her with your hammer, she is by your toolbox, she is gone.”
Police arriving at the plant found the bloody tool beside Czech’s body. She was pronounced dead from extensive head injuries and significant blood loss.
Authorities said Delong later told investigators that he disliked the victim. “The defendant admitted not liking the victim,” the complaint stated.
“The defendant said he has been planning to kill the victim for some time.” Officials have not disclosed a motive beyond those statements.
Czech, who lived in Hutchinson, was described by her family as a hardworking and lively young woman who had thrown herself into welding as a high school student.
According to relatives, she pursued that passion into a 10 month welding technology program at Alexandria Technical & Community College, graduating in 2024.
Her father told KARE 11 she took pride in her work and found fulfillment in developing a skilled trade.
The company issued a public statement noting that operations would remain halted for the week while detectives continued their investigation. Administrative staff were directed to work from home.
“As some in our community know, one of our facilities was the site of a tragic event that resulted in the death of one of our coworkers,” the manufacturer wrote on Facebook.
“Our hearts are with their family, friends and all who are grieving this loss. We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate this event and focused on supporting our employees and the victim’s family. Thank you for the messages and comments of support.”
Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes said he intends to bring the case before a grand jury with the goal of seeking an elevated charge of first degree premeditated murder. Delong remains in custody and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 24.
While investigators in Minnesota worked through the aftermath of the deadly factory assault, police in Chicago dealt with a separate workplace attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela.
Officials identified the suspect as Augustin Gomes Granadillo, who was taken into custody after an altercation at a construction site on South Kedvale Avenue on June 23.
CWB Chicago reported that Gomes and his 30-year-old coworker began arguing when Gomes allegedly tried to strike the man with a shovel.
Chicago police said the dispute escalated when Gomes struck the victim in the stomach with a concrete block, then grabbed a running Stihl masonry saw and swung it at him twice.
“The victim suffered a deep laceration and fracture of the wrist and a deep laceration wound to the chest, according to prosecutors,” the outlet reported.
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Authorities said Gomes fled the construction site immediately after the confrontation.
He was later arrested and charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors told the court that he ran because he knew he had crossed a legal line. He is scheduled to appear in court again next week.
As these investigations unfolded, Phoenix police were handling yet another disturbing case in which a 31-year-old woman was killed in what officials called a frenzied chainsaw attack inside her home.
Detectives said they were dispatched to the residence around 3:40 a.m. on Nov. 7 after a 911 caller later identified as 47-year-old Jeffrey Rael told dispatchers he “had to kill her because she was possessed.”
Officers arrived to find a gruesome scene, including a chainsaw covered in blood in the kitchen and the body of Paxton Wallace, who investigators said had suffered “cutting type” injuries across her body inflicted with “a sharp bladed instrument.”
Police said Rael remained inside the home and was armed with a hammer and a cross when they encountered him.
Rael was transported to a hospital following the incident, then booked and charged with first degree murder. He is being held on a one million dollar bond.
