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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 3 april 2019

Florida man says Police: Business owner, 3

pipe bombs weren’t employees killed in N. Dakota

meant to hurt anybody By BLAKE NICHOLSON
Associated Press
By LARRY NEUMEISTER MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Police on Tues-
Associated Press day identified the owner of a North Da-
NEW YORK (AP) — A Florida kota property management business and
man who pleaded guilty three employees as the people whose
to sending pipe bombs to bodies were found there a day earlier,
CNN and prominent critics and said authorities don’t yet know who
of President Donald Trump killed them.
says he thinks he was mis- Police Chief Jason Ziegler released the Police vehicles are seen in the backside of RJR
understood at his guilty names of the four victims, but offered few Maintenance and Management, a property
plea. additional details about a mystery that management company, Monday, April 1,
2019, Mandan, N.D.
Cesar Sayoc said in a letter has gripped the area since authorities Associated Press
to a judge that was made found the bodies Monday morning at RJR
public Tuesday that it was Maintenance and Management in Man- “I can’t imagine that he had any ene-
never his intent to harm dan, just across the Missouri River from the mies,” said Ann Farrell, who fought backs
anyone. This Aug. 30, 2015, file photo state capital of Bismarck. tears as she talked about a conversation
released by the Broward
U.S. District Judge Jed S. Ra- County Sheriff’s office shows Ziegler did not say how the victims were she had with him Sunday night. He was
koff asked prosecutors and Cesar Sayoc in Miami. killed. He said police were awaiting au- “very much in a good mood,” the Bis-
defense lawyers whether Associated Press topsy results and that authorities did not marck woman said.
Sayoc’s comments in his prison at sentencing Sept. recover a weapon. He also would not say She her brother, Rolf Eggers, were both
March 23 letter will impact 12 after pleading guilty to whether police have identified a poten- clients and friends of Fakler’s.
a guilty plea he entered various explosives-related tial motive. Yet he remained adamant “I wish I could turn back time and warn
two weeks ago regarding crimes in a deal with pros- that authorities do not believe the public him,” Eggers said. Ziegler said investigators
the fall mailings. In an or- ecutors. If convicted at is at risk, “based upon what we know at were reviewing video from the scene and
der, Rakoff gave lawyers a trial, he could have faced the crime scene.” “This incident was spe- surrounding businesses and that “we’ve
week to comment. a mandatory life sentence. cific to the victims,” Ziegler said. “We do got a lot of good leads, a lot of good in-
During the plea proceed- Sayoc admitted sending not believe the public is in danger.” formation.” He appealed for the public’s
ing, Rakoff asked Sayoc if 16 rudimentary bombs — Ziegler identified the dead as owner help, and said authorities planned to re-
he knew the devices would none of which detonated Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam interview more than 30 people.
hurt anyone. — to targets including Hill- Fuehrer, 42, Lois Cobb, 45, and William “A lot of the questions ... we just don’t
In his handwritten letter, ary Clinton, former Vice Cobb, 50. have answers right now,” Ziegler said.
Sayoc said his lawyer told President Joe Biden, sev- The Cobbs were married. Lois Cobb’s “We’ve got to be able to do our inves-
him to say yes. eral members of Congress, daughter, Briann Miller, of Girard, Illinois, tigation and put these puzzles together.”
“In my heart I wanted to say former President Barack said her mom and stepdad had moved Miller said her mother and stepdad never
no,” he said. “I answered Obama and actor Robert to North Dakota six years ago from Illinois gave any indication to her of any prob-
under extreme emotional De Niro. Devices were also and recently bought their dream home. lems at work. She last spoke with her mom
circumstances.” mailed to CNN offices in She said authorities gave her no details on Saturday.
Sayoc noted that he an- New York and Atlanta. on how they died. “I just know that it was “They talked so highly of the Bismarck and
swered the question just The bombs began turning an attack,” Miller said. “I don’t know how Mandan area, how beautiful it was, how
after crying as he read a up over a five-day stretch it happened, what it happened with. I’m amazing the people were,” Miller said.
statement describing his weeks before the midterms. left in the dark still. None of this makes any “They were so nice to everybody, too. It’s
crimes. He said he was re- They were mailed to ad- sense. All I know is my parents are gone.” just unimaginable.”
turned to the Metropoli- dresses in New York, New Lois Cobb was an account specialist and Mandan has about 22,000 residents, while
tan Correctional Center, Jersey, Delaware, Califor- William Cobb a maintenance supervisor, neighboring Bismarck has about 73,000.
where he reconsidered his nia, Washington, D.C., and according to the company’s website. Mandan had not had a homicide since
answer. Atlanta, Georgia. Fuehrer worked in maintenance, accord- November 2016, and had only three in the
“I realized that it was the Sayoc was arrested in late ing to his sister, Natascha Towne, who past six years. In that time period, neigh-
wrong thing to say, be- October at a Florida auto spoke briefly to The Associated Press on boring Bismarck had seven homicides.
cause under no circum- parts store. He had been Monday when she showed up at the busi- The RJR building is somewhat isolated
stances my intent was to living in a van plastered ness in search of answers about his status. despite its location in a business district
hurt or harm anyone. The with Trump stickers and im- She could not immediately be reached near a busy main road known as The Strip.
intention was to only intimi- ages of Trump opponents for comment Tuesday.Clients and friends A large empty lot sits in the front, a golf
date and scare,” he wrote. with crosshairs over their of Fakler described him as cheerful and course in back and a soccer complex to
Sayoc, 57, could face life in faces.q hard working. one side. q