On September 29, 1983, Rudolph H. Blythe Jr., aged 42, was tragically killed in an ambush near Tyler, Minnesota. Blythe, who was the president of the Buffalo Ridge State Bank in Ruthton, Minnesota, was accompanied by Deems 'Toby' Thulin, a 37-year-old loan officer from the same bank. The two bankers had driven to an abandoned dairy farm, previously owned by the Jenkins family, to meet a man they believed to be a prospective buyer for the property. Upon arrival, they were ambushed and shot.
The primary suspect in the case was Steven Todd Anderson, formerly known as Steven Todd Jenkins. At the time of the incident, Steven was 18 years old. He and his father, James Jenkins, were the only other individuals present at the farm during the shooting. The Jenkins family had previously owned the farm but lost it to the bank due to a default on a loan in 1980. This loss had left James Jenkins particularly bitter, as he believed that Rudolph Blythe had given him bad credit references, which hindered his ability to secure financing for a new dairy operation.
On the day of the murders, Blythe and Thulin were shot at the farm. Thulin was killed in the car, while Blythe was wounded and subsequently shot multiple times as he attempted to flee. Following the murders, Steven and his father fled to Paducah, Texas. On October 2, 1983, James Jenkins committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Steven Jenkins then surrendered to the police, admitting his involvement in the murders.
Steven Jenkins was arrested and charged with the murders of Rudolph Blythe and Deems Thulin. During his trial, Steven claimed that his father was the one who fired the shots, and that he had only been present to assist in scaring Blythe. Despite his claims, Steven was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Rudolph Blythe and second-degree murder for the death of Deems Thulin. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the first-degree murder charge and an additional 116 months for the second-degree murder charge.
