On the evening of November 17, 1973, a 17-year-old Caucasian male named Roger Essem, accompanied by his 13-year-old girlfriend and three other teenage friends, drove to Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, a secluded area in Lyon County, Iowa, just across the border from their hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The group, which included Stewart Baade, 18, his brother Dana Baade, 14, and Michael Hadrath, 15, gathered around a campfire to spend the evening together, playing guitar and enjoying
each other's company. Their peaceful night was horrifically interrupted by three brothers, Allen, David, and James Fryer, who were in the park illegally poaching deer.
The Fryer brothers, believing the teenagers had marijuana they could steal, decided to confront them. Arming themselves with shotguns, they positioned themselves on a ridge overlooking the campsite and opened fire. Roger Essem was the first to be struck and was killed instantly. In the ensuing chaos, Stewart Baade was wounded. The surviving teenagers fled into the woods for cover, but the Fryer brothers, pretending to be narcotics officers, ordered them to come out. When they did, the brutal assault continued.
While the lone female survivor was separated from the group, kidnapped, and later sexually assaulted, the remaining three boys were murdered by the brothers. The following day, a couple visiting the park discovered the bodies of the Baade brothers and Michael Hadrath. Roger Essem's body was found a day later at the original campsite. The harrowing testimony of the surviving girl proved crucial to the investigation. She was able to recount the events of that night and later identify the attackers.
Her detailed account led law enforcement to the Fryer brothers. After she identified one of the brothers and the truck they used on the night of the murders, all three were arrested. On December 1, 1973, Allen, David, and James Fryer were charged with four counts of murder. Subsequent trials resulted in their convictions. James Fryer was found guilty of manslaughter for Roger Essem's death and first-degree murder for the deaths of the other three boys. David Fryer pleaded guilty to the same charges. Both, along with their brother Allen, who was also found guilty, were sentenced to life in prison.
