MANDAT, ND – Chad Isaak, 48, convicted of brutally murdering four people at a North Dakota property management company in 2019, was sentenced on Tuesday to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Chad Isaak Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole for Brutal North Dakota Murders
Isaak, 47, continued to proclaim his innocence during the highly emotional 2 hours sentencing hearing in Mandan. Relatives of the four victims – RJR Maintenance & Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52, and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42, William Cobb Jr., 50, and William’s wife Lois Cobb, 45 – gave heart-wrenching impact statements, recounting their grief and suffering in the aftermath of the horrific killings.
The Murders On April 1, 2019, the bodies of the four victims were discovered at RJR’s offices in Mandan, having been stabbed over 100 times in total. They were also shot at least eight times. While Isaak lived at a mobile home park managed by RJR, prosecutors could not establish a motive for the slayings.
The Trial Isaak stood trial in August 2021, with the jury convicting him on four counts of murder after three weeks of testimony.
The Sentencing At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, victims’ relatives unleashed their grief and anger directly at Isaak. “You’re a monster who deserves nothing more than to spend the rest of your life rotting in prison,” said Amy Cobb, daughter of William and stepdaughter to Lois.
Isaak remained impassive as his lawyer pleaded for the judge to impose concurrent instead of consecutive life sentences. “I can honestly tell you that I’m not a murderer, and that’s all I have to say,” were Isaak’s only remarks to the court.
Prosecutors pushed for consecutive life terms with no chance of parole, calling the murders deliberate, brutal, and unexplained. The judge ultimately agreed, ensuring Isaak would never be released from prison.
Chad Isaak Found Dead by Suicide in Prison Before Appeal Heard
Chad Isaak, convicted of slaughtering four people at a North Dakota property management firm in 2019, died by suicide in prison in July 2022 before his appeal could be adjudicated. The unexpected death of the 48-year-old Isaak, who maintained his innocence, leaves many unsettled questions in the horrific quadruple homicide case.
On July 31, Isaak was found unresponsive after a “self-harm” incident at the North Dakota State Penitentiary.
“The responding NDHP Trooper was told the inmate was taken by ambulance to Sanford Hospital where he was pronounced deceased at 6:24 p.m.”
He was pronounced dead at a Bismarck hospital. The North Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances along with corrections officials.
At a local cafe, some expressed bewilderment at Isaak’s suicide.
“I never thought he would do something like that,”
said one Washburn resident
Others still seek answers, noting Isaak’s claim at trial that he wasn’t a killer. Staff at the McLean County Sheriff’s Office were surprised but focused on moving forward.
Legal Complexities Arise as Chad Isaak Dies Amid Appeal of North Dakota Quadruple Murder Conviction
The death of Chad Isaak has created a complex legal dilemma for the North Dakota Supreme Court as it considers the appeal of the convicted killer’s quadruple murder conviction.
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Isaak was found guilty in 2021 of stabbing and shooting four people to death at a Mandan property management firm. After being sentenced to life without parole, he filed an appeal in January 2022.
But in late July, just before the third anniversary of the murders, Isaak died by suicide in prison. With his appeal unfinished, the state’s high court must navigate uncharted territory.
The case is not yet final
The North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the appeal of convicted killer Chad Isaak and upheld his four murder convictions, closing the book on the case after Isaak’s death by suicide last summer.
Isaak was appealing his conviction and life sentence for the 2019 stabbing and shooting deaths of four people at a property management company in Mandan. But with his death in July 2022, before the appeal was decided, the high court was faced with a novel legal question.
In their ruling, the justices explained that while Isaak may have had a right to appeal, that right ended upon his passing. And nullifying his convictions, they said, would infringe on the rights of the victims’ families and their interest in seeing justice served. They said the case is not yet final.
Isaak was found guilty in August 2021 for the grisly killings of RJR Maintenance and Management owner Robert Fakler and three employees. Though no motive was found, he lived at a property the company managed.
With Isaak’s appeal dismissed, his conviction and four consecutive life sentences without parole will stand. The court’s decision closes out the case, nearly four years after the shocking quadruple homicide rocked the Mandan community.
What do Prosecutors have to say?
Following the recent death of Chad Isaak, who was convicted last year of slaughtering four people at a North Dakota property management firm, state prosecutors are affirming their belief that Isaak perpetrated the calculated, cold-blooded crimes even though his appeal was cut short.
Isaak was sentenced to life without parole after being found guilty of fatally shooting and stabbing the victims in April 2019 at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan. Though his motive remains unclear, prosecutors argued at trial that the evidence showed the former Navy medic planned the killings.
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Isaak’s military training gave him the skills to carry out the murders, prosecutors said. The family of the victims also stated they saw no remorse from Isaak, further suggesting premeditation.
The state attorneys maintained that Isaak waited for the victims at RJR’s offices before brutally killing owner Robert Fakler and three employees. They say he later tried cleaning up the crime scene and returning home as if nothing had happened.
