Driver Sentenced After Passenger Found Dead Along Road Near Becker

Nov 8

A Becker man has been sentenced in connection with an incident that killed his passenger after she fell from his truck earlier this year.

According to court records, 35-year-old Johnathan James Schafer pleaded guilty in September to both felony failure to stop after a collision resulting in death and fourth-degree driving while impaired.

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Deputies responded on May 15 after Schafer’s mother reported receiving a call from him saying his passenger had “jumped out” of his truck. A second caller told dispatch she also received a call from Schafer stating his girlfriend had exited the truck near a cemetery and was unresponsive. Neither call was made to law enforcement.

Becker officers later found Schafer’s truck parked near a dog park with its lights off. Blood was visible on the door and on Schafer’s hand. Officers noted a strong odor of alcohol and found a cased shotgun in the backseat. Schafer agreed to ride with officers to look for his passenger, identified as 23-year-old Julia Marie Marthaler of Nisswa. A deputy soon found her lying along 140th Avenue Southeast with severe head trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined Schafer had spent roughly 42 minutes on the phone with two people after the incident but never contacted 911. He told deputies the two had argued after leaving a bar, that Marthaler jumped from the truck, and that he panicked and drove away when headlights approached. His blood was drawn at 2:33 a.m. under a search warrant. Authorities said the investigation remains active as they continue working to determine how Marthaler fell from the vehicle.

Under a plea deal, Schafer received a 90-day jail sentence, with credit for time served, and a fine that was waived. He was convicted on both counts.

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