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A tragic incident has taken a more serious turn as a man, accused of brutally attacking his coworker with a sledgehammer, now faces elevated charges. The case revolves around the death of Amber Mary Czech, a 20-year-old welder who was fatally assaulted at her workplace.
On December 5, Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes called upon a grand jury to delve into the circumstances surrounding Czech’s untimely demise, which occurred on November 11. The incident happened at the Advanced Process Technologies plant in Cokato, Minnesota, where Czech was employed.
In a statement released on December 6, Lutes announced that the grand jury had handed down an indictment against Czech’s coworker, David Bruce Delong. The charges are grave, comprising first-degree murder with premeditation and intent, alongside a second-degree murder charge.
Should Delong be found guilty of the first-degree murder charge, he faces the possibility of life imprisonment without the chance of parole, underscoring the severity of the allegations against him.
What Happened to Amber Czech?
Czech was killed around 6 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Advanced Process Technologies plant where she worked in Cokato, Minnesota.
That morning, Delong was allegedly captured on surveillance footage picking up a sledgehammer, walking to Czech’s workstation and bashing her with the hammer just outside the camera’s view, according to a criminal complaint previously obtained by Oxygen.
He delivered four more blows in a “downward fashion” after she fell to the ground, authorities said.
After the attack, Delong allegedly told a male coworker, per the complaint, “I hit her with your hammer, she is by your toolbox. She is gone.”
Czech died after suffering what investigators described as “major head trauma” and “significant blood loss.”
According to the complaint, Delong later “admitted not liking the victim” to investigators and confessed he’d been planning the attack “for some time.”
Delong was arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder in the case. However, Lutes upgraded the charges against the 40-year-old to first-degree murder after bringing the case before the grand jury on Dec. 5.
Delong is currently being held at the Wright County Jail on a $2 million bail with strict release conditions or a $5 million bail without conditions, according to the statement from prosecutors.
Following her death, Advanced Process Technologies offered its condolences to Czech’s family and friends.
“One of our facilities was the site of a tragic event that resulted in the death of one of our coworkers,” read a message on Facebook at the time. “Our hearts are with their family, friends and all who are grieving this loss. We are working closely with law enforcement as they investigate this event and focused on supporting our employees and the victim’s family.”
