On a cool autumn evening on November 17, 1973, 15-year-old Michael Hadrath, a Caucasian male, joined his friends for a gathering around a campfire at Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, just across the border from their hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The group of five teenagers, including Hadrath, Stewart Baade, 18, his 14-year-old brother Dana Baade, Roger Essem, 17, and 13-year-old Sandra Cheskey, were enjoying their time together when their night took a horrific turn.
Three brothers, David, Allen, and James Fryer, who were in the park intending to poach deer, came across the teenagers. Believing the teens were smoking marijuana, the brothers decided to rob them of their drugs.
The Fryer brothers armed themselves with shotguns and positioned themselves on a ridge overlooking the campsite before opening fire. Roger Essem was killed instantly, and Stewart Baade was wounded. As the remaining teenagers scattered for cover in the woods, the brothers, posing as law enforcement, ordered them to come out. Michael Hadrath and Sandra Cheskey emerged together, at which point Allen Fryer shot Hadrath in the arm. The Fryers then rounded up Hadrath, the Baade brothers, and Cheskey. Cheskey was tied up and placed in the teenagers' van, which Allen Fryer then drove away from the scene.
Left behind with David and James Fryer, Michael Hadrath, along with the wounded Stewart Baade and his brother Dana, were marched away from the initial site of the attack. The two remaining Fryer brothers then tragically shot and killed all three teenage boys. Their bodies were discovered the following day by a couple driving through the park. The sole survivor, Sandra Cheskey, was taken to a separate location and assaulted before managing to escape. Her testimony proved crucial in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The investigation quickly led to the Fryer brothers. Thanks to a remarkable coincidence where the sheriff was driving Cheskey to the hospital and she spotted the brothers' truck, law enforcement was able to make the arrests. David, Allen, and James Fryer were all convicted for their roles in the gruesome murders. David Fryer pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and one of manslaughter and was sentenced to life in prison. Allen Fryer was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and received four consecutive life sentences. James Fryer was found guilty of three charges of first-degree murder, including that of Michael Hadrath, and one charge of manslaughter, also resulting in a life sentence.
