On the morning of May 31, 2013, a lakeside home in Lake Hattie Township, about 30 miles southwest of Bemidji, Minnesota, was found burning. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and discovered the body of 57-year-old homeowner James Schwartzbauer in the charred remains. A 26-year-old roommate, Fredrick Bachman, initially told deputies he had tried to fight the fire, gone inside multiple times to retrieve his own possessions, and believed Schwartzbauer had escaped.

Witnesses and investigators questioned Bachman’s account. Observers said he appeared calm and was smoking a pipe as the house burned; he salvaged items including a computer, alcohol, and a samurai sword, yet his clothes did not smell of smoke. An autopsy showed Schwartzbauer had been shot before the fire was set, and a shotgun linked to the scene was recovered submerged in the lake about 40 feet from the dock. Following the investigation, Bachman was arrested in St. Paul and charged with second-degree murder.

Did anyone in the area know Schwartzbauer or Bachman and have details about their relationship or what happened that night?