Mountain of evidence delays murder case in Fargo bar parking lot – InForum

FARGO – The man accused of stabbing another man to death in the parking lot of a south Fargo bar appeared at the Cass County Courthouse Thursday afternoon with his attorney, who asked the court to adjourn the case because a large amount of information, particularly electronic evidence, still needs to be reviewed.

Michael Diedrich, 28, was arrested on March 28 for the death of 22-year-old Ethan Larson. He was charged with murder on April 1.

Some of Larson's relatives were also present at the hearing on Thursday.

Court documents show the stabbing stemmed from an argument between the two men that began at the Southtown Pourhouse, a sports bar in the far southwest corner of the city. A police report said a bartender overheard the argument and the men agreed to “fight outside.”

Witnesses and bar staff found Larson bleeding to death in the parking lot on the west side of the building around 1 a.m., shortly after the men were thrown out of the bar for fighting. A bartender told police he saw Diedrich get into a white pickup truck and drive away. He was arrested later that day.

Diedrich pleaded not guilty in July.

In court on Thursday, Diedrich's defense attorney Jesse Lange asked Judge Reid Brady to postpone the hearing in the case until the end of January.

David Samson/The Forum

“We have obtained about 386 gigabytes of electronic information, including about 70 hours of video material,” Lange said. “Of course, when you look at videos like this, you can't just watch them like a movie. You have to go through them slowly and take careful notes. At this point, we are not done with the discovery.”

He added that the defense intends to conduct its own investigation, including witness testimony, and may also bring in some experts.

The state, represented by Assistant District Attorney Ashlei Neufeld, acknowledged the significant discovery but objected to the long delay. She said the state will seek to set a trial date in April 2025.

Judge Reid Brady agreed with the prosecution that an adjournment until the end of January would be excessive and set November 21 as the next date for the hearing in the case.

For a Class AA murder offense, the minimum sentence is four years and the maximum sentence is life imprisonment without parole.