In the winter of 1969, the community of Austin, Minnesota, was shaken by the death of 18-year-old Julie Mehrman, a Caucasian female whose life was tragically cut short. Her body was discovered on January 12, 1969, and it was determined that she had been strangled to death. The initial investigation into her murder yielded no immediate arrests, leaving a cloud of uncertainty and fear hanging over the small town.
For years, the case remained unsolved, a painful open wound for her family and friends.
A break in the case would not come until a local man, David James Torgerson, emerged as the prime suspect. Torgerson was no stranger to law enforcement, with a history of violent behavior and mental health issues. He had a record of assaults on women and had spent time in psychiatric hospitals. In 1970, he was convicted and sentenced for a separate crime involving a breaking and entering and an assault on another woman. It was during his incarceration for this offense that investigators began to look at him more closely for other unsolved crimes in the area.
During questioning, Torgerson confessed to the murder of Julie Mehrman. He also admitted to killing another 18-year-old woman, Linda Wandrus, in a similar manner later that same year. His confessions brought a sense of resolution to the long-standing mystery, but formal justice for Julie Mehrman would never be served in a courtroom. Before he could be tried for her murder, David James Torgerson took his own life in his prison cell on November 6, 1973. While his confession closed the case in the eyes of investigators, the lack of a trial meant that the full story of that tragic January day in 1969 would be buried with him, leaving a lingering sense of what might have been for those who mourned Julie Mehrman.
