1873
First named 17th Siding in 1873.
about 0:05:36The story
Menoken is a small settlement in Burleigh County, central North Dakota, about 20 minutes from Bismarck on the old Interstate 94, with a population of about 72 in 1992. The Newgauer family farm lay outside the town, and three generations had been raised on it. Ronald Newgauer, born around 1948, worked the land, served as an elected member of the local school board and kept a large collection of guns. His wife, Maureen, was about four years younger; she was the daughter of Ivan and Gladis Sherman, who farmed nearby, and worked as a secretary at the University of Mary in Bismarck. The five of them lived in a trailer on the family homestead, with Ronald's mother, Hilda Newgauer, in the farmhouse about fifty yards away.
There was trouble in the family. Ronald had a violent temper. She reported the abuse to the authorities, but nothing was done. In late 1991 Maureen borrowed $2,500 from her parents and rented an apartment in Bismarck, apparently because of Ronald's temper, but she had moved back by Christmas.
That night he argued with Ronald about chores and asked to leave. Ronald refused. Michelle came out of her room and he shot her; Maureen grabbed him and the gun went off, and he followed her outside and shot her. He then reloaded and shot Ryan twice where the boy was hiding in his bedroom. Eleven rounds were fired. Ronald was hit in the neck, back and thigh; Michelle was shot twice in the back inside and then once in the body and once in the back of the head outside; Ryan was shot twice in the back of the head; Maureen was found face down in the snow behind the trailer. The telephones had been ripped from the wall.
He was seen in the breakfast commons showing a large amount of cash, then collected Jackie from her locker. At 9.40 the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department was called after Ryan failed to appear at school. A relative, Merrill Sherman, drove to the farm and found the trailer locked and nobody answering. Deputies found Maureen behind the trailer, then Ronald, Michelle and Ryan inside.
An APB went out across several states. There were sightings at a Kmart in Billings, Montana, and at thrift stores in Billings and Great Falls. At 1.30 on the morning of Saturday 8 February a Sarasota police sergeant, Robert Smith, spotted the North Dakota car. A SWAT team surrounded the motel and knocked on the door. No weapons were found in the room, but police took away a tan lock box containing jewellery belonging to Maureen and Michelle.
Jackie remained loyal, visiting him three times a week in 1997. He was returned to the state penitentiary in Bismarck in 2016. His aunt Helen, who was not related by blood, campaigned for years to visit him and supported his request for release; the prosecutor, Patricia Birk, eventually accepted that he had been abused by his father and sister but argued that killing four people was disproportionately violent.