Fatal Sibley County farm shooting suspect found guilty of 1 murder charge, acquitted of another

A man suspected of murdering a 79-year-old man died at a farm near Winthrop, Minnesota more than two years ago has been found guilty.

Court documents show 48-year-old Travis Joel Bauer was found guilty of second-degree intentional murder following a jury trial. He was initially only charged with second-degree murder, but in April of 2023 he was indicted with one count of first-degree premeditated murder. He was found not guilty of that charge.

So far, a sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, a criminal complaint filed in Sibley County stated Bauer called 911 the afternoon of Sept. 20, 2022, to report a man was unresponsive and there was blood present.

Responding officers found the body of Dennis Weitzenkamp slumped on a chair in a machine shed. Investigators later found he died from a gunshot wound in the back of his head, and appeared to have been shot while shucking corn.

Bauer had allegedly told investigators that he was working on the farm with Weitzenkamp until lunch, when they left to eat at their respective homes. He then said he returned to work on a tractor but left after a bit to get some anti-freeze from Napa Auto Parts in Winthrop, passing Weitzenkamp on Country Road 57 on the way there.

However, cell phone tracking data show Bauer’s travel that afternoon did not match up with what he told investigators.

Bauer had claimed that he wasn’t at the farm with the victim again until he had returned from Napa, but location data showed he and Weitzenkamp were both at the farm around 2:16 p.m., the complaint states. He also appeared to have taken a different route into town from what he told police. Furthermore, Weitzenkamp was captured driving on a squad camera less than half an hour before Bauer called 911.

Investigators noted that when Bauer was questioned again, he admitted to lying about his whereabouts.

Prosecutors say Bauer had “significant debt” and was struggling to pay his bills. Bauer had also been notified about an hour before Weitzenkamp’s body was found that he was in danger of defaulting on his mortgage.

Bauer worked on Weitzenkamp’s farm for years and “was considered part of the family,” the complaint states. Trust documents also revealed that Bauer stood to gain “significant financial benefit” if Weitzenkamp died.