A North Dakota oil trucking company operator has pled guilty to charges of conspiring to kill two business rivals in the Bakken oil patch.
Truck Driver Allegedly Beaten To Death Over Business Dispute
James Henrikson admitted in court that he paid Timothy Suckow $20,000 to kill Kristopher “KC” Clarke in 2012. Clark worked for Henrikson as a truck driver for the Blackstone Trucking Company. Henrickson wanted Clarke dead because he thought that he wanted to start a competing trucking business. The prosecutor says that Suckow beat Clarke to death with a jack handle at a shop near Mandaree. Authorities say that Clarke was buried in a remote area in western North Dakota. However, Clarke’s body was never found.
Prosecution Says Investor Killed for Refusing to Give Up Stake in Oil Lease
Henrikson also pled guilty to paying Suckow to kill Douglas Carlile in 2013. Carlile was an equipment operator and investor who worked with Henrikson. The prosecution stated that Henrikson wanted to kill Carlile because he would not give up his stake in an oil lease. He also allegedly owed Henrikson money. Carlile was shot to death at close range at his home in Spokane.
Per the plea agreement, prosecutors will ask for a 40-year sentence for Henrikson, followed by a lifetime of probation.
Henrikson attempted to escape from Spokane jail in August.
Suckow recently pled guilty to charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and is facing up to 30 years behind bars.
Sources:
WTVB
Duluth News Tribune
Grand Forks Herald