Co-Worker Charged After Woman Beaten to Death With Sledgehammer

Nov 12

A man has been charged in connection with the death of his co-worker at a Wright County business, where investigators say a sledgehammer was used in the fatal attack.

According to the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 6 a.m. Tuesday to Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato after a woman was found at her workstation and with severe head trauma.

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Despite lifesaving efforts by deputies and medics, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prosecutors have since charged 40-year-old David Bruce Delong, of Watkins, with one count of second-degree murder. A bloody sledgehammer was recovered near the victim, and according to court documents obtained by KSTP-TV, Delong admitted to striking her with it.

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Surveillance footage from inside the business showed Delong walking toward the victim’s workstation, picking up a sledgehammer, and swinging it toward someone just out of view of the camera. The footage captured him striking her several more times before leaving the area.

In an interview with investigators, Delong confessed to the killing, reportedly saying he had planned it in advance and that he didn’t like the victim. He remains in custody as the investigation continues.

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