Dennis Brantner (Fond du Lac Co. Sheriff)
The man accused in the 1990 murder of Berit Beck will be re-tried by prosecutors.
A Fond du Lac County jury was dismissed in June after it was unable to reach a verdict on whether Dennis Branter killed the 18-year-old. District Attorney Eric Toney said Tuesday morning in court that the state plans to try the case again.
The 62-year-old Brantner was charged with first-degree murder in Beck’s death. She was traveling from her home in Sturtevant to Appleton for a work seminar when she disappeared. Her van was found a few days later, and her body was later found in a ditch in Fond du Lac County.
Brantner was charged after authorities who re-examined the cold case say they matched fingerprints on evidence recovered from Beck’s van to the Kenosha man.
Since Brantner was not in court Tuesday, a trial date was not scheduled. Both sides will return to court for a status conference next week.
WTAQ