North Dakota Man’s Feud With Neighbors Turns Deadly

A man's home is his castle.

There's a reason that phrase has been around for years- because it's a simple statement with such profound implications.  I don't want to be misogynistic, so let's say "a person's home is their castle".  I feel that way and no doubt you probably do too.  There's no place like home. Escape the irritations of the day and just let it all hang out.

Sometimes it's hard to be king when your neighbors keep getting on your nerves.

It may not be their fault, they may not even be doing anything that's all that irritating, but once you get it in your mind that they belong on your bad side everything they do is going to bug you to the point of breaking.

 He said he was "done walking away". Man allegedly goes on a deadly rampage against neighbors.

In Williston, ND, the trial is once again underway for 44-year-old Steven Rademacher.  He's charged with driving his pickup truck into a group of neighbors, an act that left many injured and 24 year old Dyson Bastion dead.   US News and World Report has the story..

Steven Rademacher is charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorizing in a July 2019 confrontation with some neighbors. Prosecutors say Rademacher sped past the neighbors who urged him to slow down. According to court records, Rademacher turned his truck around and headed toward the neighbors, striking several, including Dyson Bastain who was killed.

KFYR-TV reports that during State's Attorney Nathan Madden's opening statements he said that Rademacher was going to "show Williston that he was not to be trifled with".  The prosecutor stated Rademacher told investigators he did it after years of alleged backtalk from his neighbors.

The mention of "alleged backtalk" really resonated with me...leading me to think how this dysfunctional neighbor relationship had most likely been festering for years.  Rademacher has not yet been convicted but the case and the evidence seem to be stacked against him.

Maybe there should be a greater understanding on each side of the fence.

I'm blessed to have really good neighbors,  Are there things they do that sometimes get under my skin? Of course, there are- because they're bugging me in my castle!  The thing is...their castle is their kingdom too.