Cheyenne Clough, a 19-year-old from Buffalo, Minnesota, was tragically murdered on June 1, 2016. She was found with multiple gunshot wounds in Crow Springs County Park and was discovered by a girl walking to school. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Cheyenne succumbed to her injuries four days later.
The investigation quickly led to the arrest of five individuals. Shawn Tyler Benson, 21, of Maple Lake, was charged with second-degree intentional murder.
Justin Michael Jensen, 28, of Maple Lake, and Edward Victor Zelko, 26, of Buffalo, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Additionally, Natasha Brandenburger and Callie Anderson were charged with aiding and abetting.
The motive behind the murder stemmed from a fear among the group that Cheyenne would 'snitch' on them. An argument had erupted between Cheyenne and Brandenburger and Anderson, as Cheyenne believed one of them had called a bounty hunter to arrest her boyfriend, Devon Boyles, who had an outstanding warrant. Jensen, fearing that Cheyenne would report them to the authorities, ordered Benson and Zelko to kill her.
On the night of the murder, Benson and Zelko, under the pretense of driving Cheyenne home, took her to Crow Springs Park. There, they shot her four times and left her for dead. The suspects were apprehended near the Canadian border, with four being arrested close to the border and another in Todd County.
Shawn Benson and Justin Jensen each received 40 years in prison for their roles in the murder, while Edward Zelko was sentenced to 30 years. A sixth individual, Thomas Forrest Nicholson, was charged with aiding and abetting the killers after he feigned ignorance of the suspects when questioned by the police.
