The Murder of Diane Fortenberry
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder in the Heartland. It’s season 3 episode 9, titled ‘Caught in the Act.’
A loving wife and mother is found dead in her home.
Background
Diane Fortenberry lived in the small lakeside community of Osakis, Minnesota, with her husband Mike, and two sons, Colter and Grayson.
Diane worked as a truck dispatcher, and loved her job, and the people she worked with. She liked to fish, hunt, cook, and watch her sons play baseball. Mike said he and Diane barely ever missed a game.
Diane Fortenberry
A Horrific Discovery
On May 20, 2011, Diane’s son Colter, who had been a freshman in college at the time, returned home from work just before 5pm.
Colter called Mike, who was still at work, and told him that Diane was down, and bleeding. Mike told Colter to call 911, while he rushed home.
When Mike arrived, the police were already there. Diane was rushed to the hospital in Long Prairie, but unfortunately, she passed away. Diane’s cause of death was blunt force trauma.
The police now had their first homicide investigation since 2006.
The Lunch Break
Around 6:54pm, Colter and Mike were both interviewed by the police.
They asked Colter about finding his mom. Colter said he arrived home, he saw Diane’s car parked in an unusual spot. He walk inside, and found Diane lying on the floor. He said he shook her, but she didn’t move.
Colter said he then realized that that TV was missing. The doors to the entertainment center, and area where the computer and printer were kept, were all left open.
Colter said he had gone to work around 3am that morning. Diane would usually leave to get to work by 7:30am, and return home around 5:30pm.
The police discovered that Diane usually would go home for her hour long lunch breaks. It was a common thing for Diane to do, but this time she was killed.
Rumors spread quickly that Mike could have been the one to kill Diane. However, their friends were quick to dismiss the rumors. They said no one in the family was involved. They were right, and the police cleared the family almost immediately.
A Suspicious Vehicle
The police did speak to Mike and Colter again, but this time they asked if they had ever seen anything or anyone suspicious. Mike said he had seen a man casing their home, while he was out in his garden.
Mike said the doors to his shed were open, and he could see the man looking inside to see what he could come back and take later. Mike said he made eye contact with the man, as he drove away in a gray car.
On May 25, five days after Diane was killed, a woman who knew the Fortenberry’s, also claimed to have seen the gray car. She said she had seen it parked in the driveway on the 20th. It was described as a GM 4-door model, with flaky paint.
A vehicle matching the description was found on May 26, however, it was not actually the car they had been looking for.
The Missing Items
Diane’s purse and cell phone were also items that had been taken from the crime scene. The police pinged Diane’s cell phone. It led them to a trailer park in Alexandria.
The police find Diane’s missing items in a black garbage bag, in a dumpster on the trailer park property. Diane’s purse, cell phone, and other items stolen from the home were inside the bag. The bag was collected, and sent in for testing. Other items believed to have been stolen from the home were: credit cards, a DVD player, cameras, and several other electronics.
The lab called on May 27. A fingerprint had come back to a man named Jeffrey Allen Brooks. Brooks had a long criminal history, with most of his charges being from various burglaries.
Brooks had one point worked at Long Prairie Packing Plant, but quit due to heavy lifting. He was later identified as the same man that Mike had seen casing his home. Brooks was familiar with the Fortenberry home, as he drove by it on the way to work everyday.
A Planned Robbery
The police surveilled Brooks’ home, and saw that his vehicle was a match to the car seen in Diane’s driveway on the 20th.
The police followed Brooks to the Alexandria Library, where they eventually spoke to him. He said he had been in the city on the 20th, but soon slipped up, and said he was in Osakis before going into the city.
Brooks was taken into custody due to probable cause of a homicide. The police obtained a warrant for his DNA, fingerprints, and he was photographed for injuries.
The police also obtained a search warrant for Brooks’ girlfriend Tressa Vincent’s home. At one point, they believed Brooks had help. Tressa was eventually ruled out.
At his trial, Brooks pleaded guilty to second degree murder. He admitted to driving by Diane’s home, and hoping he’d find nice items inside.
On May 20, Diane came home for her usual lunch break, and caught Brooks robbing them. Brooks then beat her, and left her to die.
Jeffrey Allen Brooks was sentenced to 35 years in prison. 381 days of his sentence were taken off as credit for time served. He will eligible for parole in 2034.
Jeffrey Allen Brooks
FINAL THOUGHTS
What a loser. He probably canvassed several homes hoping to burglarize them. His girlfriend Tressa tried to say that he was a nice and gentle person. Ya, bullshit. He left Diane to die, and let her son find her. He then robbed the Fortenberry’s, and only confessed because all the evidence came back to him.
He deserves a lot longer than 35 years. I don’t believe he’d stop robbing people if he does ever get out. He’s obviously capable of killing people too, and probably would again.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/diane-fortenberry-murder-where-is-jeffery-allen-brooks-now/
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/05/31/man-charged-with-murder-in-osakis-womans-death/
https://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/news/500989-closer-look-sentencing-osakis-murderer
