In the early summer of 2015, the community of Estherville, Iowa, was shaken by the disappearance and tragic death of 19-year-old Thomas Bortvit, a White male. A graduate of Estherville Lincoln Central High School, Bortvit was a student in the Criminal Justice Program at Iowa Lakes Community College and worked at the local Fareway meat department. His life was cut short on June 6, 2015, when he was lured to his death by a former friend, 18-year-old Lee Christensen.
The motive for this violent act was jealousy, as Bortvit was dating Christensen's ex-girlfriend.
On that Saturday, Christensen, under the guise of needing help with a broken-down vehicle, contacted Bortvit for a ride. Instead of leading him to a stranded truck, Christensen directed him to his grandfather's farm in Emmet County. It was there that Christensen shot Bortvit multiple times, including twice in the head. After the murder, he placed Bortvit's body in a pit on the property. In an attempt to cover his tracks, Christensen used Bortvit's phone to send a text message to the young woman they had both dated, ending her relationship with Bortvit. He then abandoned Bortvit's car on a residential street.
When Bortvit failed to return to work, a widespread community search was initiated by concerned family and friends. The investigation quickly focused on Christensen. After being confronted by his own parents, who had been contacted by law enforcement, Christensen confessed to his father that he had killed Bortvit and revealed the location of the body. He was arrested the following day in Minneapolis as he and his mother were preparing to fly to Arizona for a sports camp.
Lee Christensen was charged with first-degree murder. During his trial, he did not deny being the shooter but claimed the act was a result of a sudden and irresistible passion. The jury, after more than 10 hours of deliberation, found him guilty of second-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 50 years in prison and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the Bortvit family. An appeal for a new trial, based on claims of juror misconduct due to social media rumors, was ultimately denied by the Iowa Supreme Court, upholding the conviction. Years later, Christensen sought to have his sentence reconsidered, claiming a recovered memory of the event suggested the shooting was accidental during a struggle, but this effort was also part of the ongoing legal aftermath of a senseless crime that deeply affected the small Iowa town.
