Isle, MN – A Minnesota woman, Alexis Marion Elling, 24, will not serve additional jail time after pleading guilty to aiding an offender in the 2023 murder of Rodney Pendegayosh Jr. Elling admitted to helping her boyfriend, Bradley Allen Weyaus Jr., move the victim’s dismembered body in a tote bag and dispose of evidence, according to court records.
Elling’s Role in the Crime
Authorities reported that Elling assisted Weyaus in moving Pendegayosh’s body from a home in Isle, MN, some 100 miles north of Minneapolis, and also helped dispose of a shotgun case. She reportedly kept track of the tote bag for two days, fully aware that her boyfriend had committed the murder.
As reported by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office, Pendegayosh’s remains were later recovered along a snowy road, stuffed into a tote bag bound with bungee cords and tape.
Plea Agreement and Probation Terms
Elling pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and received a 57-month jail sentence, which was stayed under the terms of her probation. She was credited for 324 days already served, and must comply with conditions including abstaining from alcohol and drugs.
Weyaus, 23, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 306 months (25 years, 6 months) in prison.
Background of the Case and Suspects
Court documents indicate that the murder stemmed from the belief that Pendegayosh had supplied Elling’s brother with a lethal mixture of fentanyl and meth, prompting the couple’s violent actions. Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton described the crime as “truly bizarre,” noting that the body was moved multiple times over up to a week before its discovery.
A public works maintenance crew discovered Pendegayosh’s remains in a tote bag along a snowy highway in March 2023, initially noticing what appeared to be a severed human foot, per Mille Lacs County Sheriff.
Evidence and Arrest
Surveillance footage and physical evidence linked the couple to the crime. Investigators recovered items including a bloody carpet, gloves, a hacksaw, a hammer, black tape, and the victim’s ID and credit card. Law enforcement also traced Weyaus’ vehicle and apprehended him hiding in a camper trailer on the property.
According to the sheriff, video footage showed the suspects carrying the tote bag out of the apartment and loading it into a black Chevrolet Impala days before police recovered the body.
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