(Emmetsburg)– A second suspect in a Palo Alto county murder case has pled not guilty. 22-year-old Brice Colling entered the plea Friday to a charge of first degree murder in connection with the 2020 death of Rollin Bontrager. Bontrager’s body was found a couple of days after the incident in Virgin Lake near Ruthven. An autopsy determined Bontrager died of blunt force trauma.
A jury trial for Colling is set for June 21st in Palo Alto County District Court.
Another suspect in the case, Allan Schwidder of Emmetsburg, pled guilty in March of 2021 to second degree murder as part of a plea deal.
