3-2-18 brantner receives maximum sentence

An over the road trucker from Kenosha  convicted in the 1990 death of a Sturdevant teenager in Fond du lac County has received the maximum sentence.   At a hearing Thursday Fond du Lac County Circuit judge Robert Wirtz sentenced Dennis Brantner to the maximum ten years in prison. Brantner avoided a re-trial on charges of first degree murder when he  was convicted last month of second degree reckless homicide in the murder of Berit Beck.  District attorney Eric Toney says because of statute of limitations there was a possibility that Brantner would not have received any prison time if a jury convicted him of a lesser charge.  “Given the facts am I happy with the result?  Yes.  Do I wish it was better?  Absolutely,”  Toney said.   The 18 year old Beck was driving from her home in Sturdevant to Appleton when she disappeared after stopping at the Fond du Lac Forest Mall.  Her body was found about a month later in a roadside ditch near Waupun.   Brantner was arrested a couple of years ago after his fingerprints matched prints found in Beck’s van.  Beck’s mother Diane says part of her wishes Brantner had been retried on first degree murder charges.  “We don’t have to worry about Dennis Brantner being out on the street any longer harming anyone else.  He is a terrible man.”  Beck said.  “I wish someone had realized long ago this man’s mentality.  Maybe this never would have happened to Beri.”   Beck’s younger brother Ben says the conviction and sentence is a huge win.  “Dennis Brantner is in jail.  This very, very evil person is going to be behind bars.  We owe that to a lot of the work that was done by all the people involved here,”  Beck said.  “Five years ago we didn’t have anything and here we are today…Dennis Brantner is serving time.”   Sheriff Mick Fink believes Brantner intentionally killed Beck, but says it was also important to have closure for the family.