Authorities say a 20-year-old welder was killed at her workstation in Cokato during an early-morning shift.
COKATO, Minn. — A 40-year-old man is charged with second-degree intentional murder after a young woman was killed with a sledgehammer at a central Minnesota manufacturing plant early Tuesday, Nov. 11. Investigators say the co-worker admitted planning the attack and told another employee moments afterward that the victim was “gone.”
Authorities identified the victim as Amber Mary Czech, 20, of Hutchinson. The suspect, David Bruce Delong of Watkins, was arrested at the scene and made an initial court appearance this week. The Wright County Attorney’s Office said charging documents outline surveillance video of the attack and statements attributed to Delong about not liking the victim and planning to kill her. The case has renewed concern about workplace safety in small industrial shops across the region as the company pauses operations and grief counselors meet with employees.
Deputies and first responders were called to Advanced Process Technologies in Cokato around 6 a.m. Tuesday on a report that a worker had suffered severe head injuries. According to the criminal complaint described by county officials, video shows Delong leave his station, approach Czech’s area, pick up a sledgehammer and strike her. She fell to the concrete, and the video indicates he continued hitting her out of camera view. A bloody sledgehammer was found on the floor near the workstation. Despite lifesaving efforts, Czech was pronounced dead at the plant. “I hit her with your hammer … she is gone,” Delong allegedly told a co-worker immediately after the assault, according to the complaint. He was detained without incident by deputies.
The complaint alleges Delong later told investigators he did not like Czech and had been planning to kill her “for some time.” Authorities said there was no evidence of a prior physical altercation between the two inside the plant that morning. Czech, a welder who recently completed a technical program, was beginning an early shift when the assault occurred, officials said. Company managers notified employees that production would be paused through the week while investigators processed the scene and staff received support. The Wright County Medical Examiner said Czech died of blunt-force trauma; additional autopsy details were not released.
Advanced Process Technologies, which builds food- and dairy-processing equipment, issued a statement calling the death a “tragic event” at one of its facilities and said it is working closely with law enforcement while “focused on supporting our employees and the victim’s family.” The plant sits in an industrial area on the west side of town, roughly 55 miles west of Minneapolis. Wright County dispatch logs place the initial call just after 6 a.m., a time when many workers arrive and lines start up. Co-workers told reporters the line was shut down and the building cleared as deputies secured evidence and took statements. Public records list Delong’s home address in Meeker County.
Court records show Delong is charged with one count of second-degree murder with intent, not premeditated, under Minnesota law. Prosecutors said they could seek an indictment to add a first-degree premeditated murder charge after presenting the case to a grand jury. Bail was set at $2 million. A judge ordered Delong held at the Wright County Jail pending further hearings, and ordered him to have no contact with the victim’s family. The county attorney’s office said it would not comment on motive beyond what is in the complaint.
Records and prior reporting indicate workplace homicides are rare in Wright County, though Minnesota has recorded several high-profile on-the-job killings in recent years, including cases that began with interpersonal conflicts that escalated. In Cokato, the police department typically handles fewer than a dozen violent crimes annually, according to state data, with most calls involving property crimes or traffic stops. Advanced Process Technologies employs dozens across multiple shifts; the company has not reported prior fatal incidents at the Cokato site. The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it was aware of the death and would conduct a standard concurrent review when worker deaths occur at licensed facilities.
A scheduling order filed after Delong’s first appearance sets his next court date for Monday, Nov. 24, in Wright County District Court. Prosecutors said they are still collecting forensic reports, including enhanced video and tool-mark analysis, and reviewing potential digital evidence from workplace systems. Any grand jury presentation would occur after those lab results are complete. The county attorney said victim advocates are assisting the Czech family as they prepare for services. Should an indictment be returned, the case would be reassigned for arraignment on a superseding charge; otherwise, the current count would proceed to an omnibus hearing.
On Friday morning, flowers and a welding helmet rested near the plant’s employee entrance. A hand-lettered note taped to the door read, “For Amber.” A neighbor who lives across from the industrial park said sirens “just kept coming” around sunrise Tuesday. “We watched the shift line stop. People were hugging in the parking lot,” said the resident, who asked to be identified by first name only, Kelly. In Hutchinson, Czech’s hometown, a former instructor described her as “a hardworking welder who loved the craft,” and friends shared photos of her with her dog and metalwork projects.
As of Saturday, Delong remained in custody. The plant’s production remains paused while investigators finish processing evidence. Authorities said the next public update is expected at the court hearing on Nov. 24, unless charging decisions change sooner based on the grand jury timeline.
Author note: Last updated November 16, 2025.