Benjamin Klaassen sentenced for shooting of Teeter

Benjamin Klaassen was sentenced to 10 to 12 years imprisonment by Judge Derek C. Weimer in Kimball District Court for one count of Assault in the 2nd degree, a Class III felony.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred July 2, 2012, at which time Benjamin and his brother Adam Klaassen, conspired to kill both their grandfather, Cornelius Klaassen, and his girlfriend, Frances Teeter.

According to court documents, in the early hours of July 2, 2012, Ben Klaassen allegedly shot Teeter in her bedroom while she was sleeping, and at the same time Adam readied himself to murder Cornelius with a crowbar while he slept in a separate bedroom. According to court documents, after the gun shot went off, Adam hid the crow bar he was to use against his grandfather in a nearby couch without committing the act.

Klaassen had previously been found guilty of the charge stemming from the July 2, 2012 incident by Judge Weimer on the morning of December 2 in Kimball County District Court.

During the sentencing the prosecution, led by Kimball County Attorney David Wilson, recommended a sentence of 10 to 12 years incarceration due to violent nature of the crime along with the planning that took place leading up to the events that transpired.

Wilson also cited how even though Klaassen at first denied committing the act that later “through evidence, he confessed to a friend that he, in fact, shot Ms. Teeter.”

Wilson also stated that Benjamin even took over the shooting after his brother Adam had refused to carry through with the act which Wilson called the “shooting of an innocent person for no reason”.

Though Wilson acknowledges that there is evidence that the circumstances of Benjamin’s life and certain hardships may have played a role in the events that transpired, he dismissed the notion that that in any way softened the severity of the crime.

“It doesn’t forgive him for what he did to this lady,” Wilson said.

Wilson also asked the court to consider the disruption that Klaassen’s actions have caused in Teeter’s life when pronouncing sentence, recommending a sentence no less than 10 years and no more than 12 years imprisonment.

“She still calls to see where we’re at [with the case]. It still haunts her,” Wilson said.

Klaassen’s attorney Kelly Breen gave no objection to Wilson’s recommendation stating that he found the recommendation by the state to be “just”.

Breen also stated that he believes that Klaassen has made progress in bettering himself during the 566 days that he has been incarcerated since the incident first took place, and he believes that keeping Klaassen in a structured environment would help him continue on the path and be better able to rejoin society in the future.

“He’s been, in [the correctional facilities’] view, a model prisoner. In a structured environment, he is able to better himself. He isn’t a sociopath or an individual with a history of violence,” Breen said.

Considering the statements of both the prosecution and the defense, Judge Weimer upheld the recommendation made by Wilson, sentencing Klaassen to no less than 10 years and no more than 12 years imprisonment with 566 days credit for time served.

Klaassen will be eligible for parole in five years and eligible for mandatory release in six years.

Benjamin’s brother Adam was previously sentenced to 30 months incarceration for two counts of criminal attempt of aiding consummation of a felony and one count of criminal attempt of third degree assault on Friday, August 16.