FARGO 鈥� The Breckenridge, Minnesota, man still considered to be the only person of interest in the shooting death of a Hankinson man outside the ice arena in Wahpeton in 2023 appeared Thursday, Sept. 19 in court in Fargo to plead guilty to federal gun charges.
Anthony Kruger, 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury last May on one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
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Kruger was precluded from possessing a gun due to convictions in four previous felony cases, including forgery, escape and drug charges in Richland County between 2010 and 2012, and an additional drug crime in Becker County, Minnesota, in 2020.
Government prosecutors reached a plea deal with Kruger last month and he formally pleaded guilty Thursday morning, Sept. 19.
Kruger faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, though prosecutors indicated in the plea agreement that the government would seek the low end of the sentencing guidelines in the case, which is between three and eight years. Chief Judge Peter Welte ordered a pre-sentence investigative report.
The investigation into the Jan. 16, 2023, shooting death of 40-year-old Jeremiah Medenwald in a car outside Wahpeton's Stern Sports Arena while youth hockey games were being played is ongoing.
Wahpeton Police Chief Matthew Anderson told The Forum Thursday that investigators are currently in the process of reviewing the entire file and that Kruger is "still considered a person of interest 鈥� the only person of interest 鈥� in the case."
A spokesperson for the Richland County State's Attorney said their office had not received any new information in the case "in a long time."
Investigators accused Kruger of firing more than a dozen shots at a car Medenwald was behind the wheel of after the two men were together at Dakota Magic Casino. Medenwald died after being shot in the back.
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Kruger was initially charged with Medenwald's murder on Jan. 23, 2023, but A gun charge brought by the state in relation to the case was also dismissed once Kruger was federally indicted.
Kruger is set to be sentenced in the federal gun case Jan. 23, 2025.
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