BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Bismarck man who police say told investigators he fatally shot an acquaintance because he was tired of his teasing has been charged with murder.
Diego Ashton, 28, told police he suffers from mental health issues and that the victim, 47-year-old Robert Becker, had always given him a hard time about it.
A court affidavit says the two were riding in a car last Friday when Ashton told Becker how he was feeling. Ashton said he’d had enough when Becker laughed at him, police said.
The two drove to a closed gas station northwest of Bismarck, where Ashton shot Becker, pulled him out of the vehicle and drove off, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
Ashton later turned himself in at the Bismarck Police Department. Investigators say they found 10 spent shell casing at the gas station. A handgun and an empty magazine were found in the vehicle, authorities said.
The murder charge against Ashton carries the possibility of life in prison if he’s convicted. He is in custody at the Burleigh Morton Detention Center. Court documents do not list an attorney for him.
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