Wright County murder charges: Man kills coworker with sledgehammer at Cokato business

Woman killed by coworker with sledgehammer in Wright Co.

A 20-year-old woman was killed by her coworker with the sledgehammer in Wright County. That man has since been charged with second-degree murder. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the story.

COKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Watkins, Minnesota man is facing a second-degree murder charge after he is accused of bludgeoning his coworker with a sledgehammer at a business in Cokato on Tuesday.

Cokato workplace attack

Wright County murder: Co-worker killed with sledgehammer

A Wright County man faces serious charges after allegedly killing a co-worker with a sledgehammer at their workplace. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the story.

What we know:

David Delong, a 40-year-old employee at Advanced Process Technologies, is accused of killing 20-year-old co-worker Amber Czech of Hutchinson. The incident reportedly occurred early Tuesday morning, with surveillance video capturing Delong putting on gloves and using a sledgehammer from the woman's workstation to attack her.

The Wright County Sheriff's Office says they responded to Advanced Process Technologies around 6 a.m. on Tuesday for the report of a woman found at her workstation with a significant head injury.

Deputies tried to revive the woman but say she was ultimately pronounced dead.

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes has filed a murder case against Delong.

"The victim is off scene from the video, but the video shows the suspect swinging a pretty significantly-sized sledgehammer five times and attacking the victim," said Lutes.

The investigation and potential charges

Dig deeper:

Lutes noted that Delong confessed to intending to kill the victim, which may support a charge of first-degree murder.

"He acknowledged in that statement that he intended to kill the victim, so it does seem like we have premeditation available in this case," said Lutes.

The case currently stands as a second-degree murder charge, but prosecutors are considering taking it to a grand jury for a potential first-degree murder indictment, which requires proof of premeditation.

Deputies say the woman had suffered a significant blow to the head and a bloody sledgehammer was found on the floor near the body. According to the charges, investigators were able to identify another worker as the suspect in the attack, 40-year-old David Delong. Delong allegedly admitted to a witness that he "hit her with your hammer, she is by your toolbox, she is gone."

Investigators said surveillance video showed Delong walking from his work area to the victim's workstation and swinging the sledgehammer. While the victim is not visible in the video, deputies say Delong is seen swinging the hammer horizontally with the first swing, then making four downward swings, as if striking the victim on the ground.

What they're saying:

According to the criminal complaint, Delong confessed to killing the victim in interviews with investigators. He told deputies he didn't like the victim and had been planning the killing for some time.

Local perspective:

In the U.S., workplace homicides number around 450-500 annually. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry data indicates about 1,000 work-related assaults are reported in the state each year, equating to nearly 20 incidents weekly.

What we don't know:

The motive behind the attack has not been disclosed, and further details on the investigation remain limited.

What's next:

Delong is scheduled to make his first appearance in court on Wednesday for a bail hearing.