Minnesota man accused of killing coworker with sledgehammer found incompetent to stand trial
A man accused of killing his coworker at a food and dairy processing facility in central Minnesota has been found incompetent to stand trial, according to the county attorney.
Daniel Delong, 41, was charged in Wright County with second-degree murder for killing 20-year-old Amber Czech on Nov. 11, 2025, at Advanced Process Technologies, located at 165 Swendra Blvd NE in Cokato, Minnesota.
Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes says a psychologist who examined Delong determined he "lacks the capacity to proceed to trial at this time due to mental illness."
"Delong's finding of incompetence is not the end of this case. I fully intend to prosecute Delong for the murder of Amber Czech," Lutes said.
Delong will remain in custody, Lutes said, adding that he filed a petition to commit Delong as mentally ill and dangerous. If Delong is committed, he will go to a secure state hospital for treatment. A hearing regarding Delong's commitment is set for May 21.
After treatment for mental illness, Lutes says Delong's competency will be reassessed.
"I will do everything in my power to hold Delong accountable for the murder of Amber Czech," Lutes said.
Delong was allegedly seen on surveillance video walking to Czech's workstation, grabbing a sledgehammer from the workstation and swinging it multiple times at her.
According to charging documents, Delong later confessed to killing Czech. He told investigators that he didn't like Czech and had planned on killing her for some time.
Lutes says he intends to seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for Delong if he is convicted.
The video above originally aired on Nov. 12, 2025.