A second man faces witness tampering and obstruction of justice charges in Fargo's federal court for a plot to create an alibi in a murder case.
Alan Michael Wessels, 21, of West Fargo pleaded not guilty today to three charges, including two which carrying potential life sentences.
His friend, Timothy F. Bauman, pleaded guilty last week to drug and obstruction charges.
Court records remain sealed in the case but prosecutors said Bauman went to visit Wessels on Jan. 3 in the Clay County Jail, where the two agreed on an alibi devised to help Wessels avoid murder charges.
Wessels is one of three people currently facing murder charges for the 2005 drug-related murder of Lee Avila in East Grand Forks, Minn. All three may be authorized to face the death penalty during at a September trial.
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Prosecutors also said Bauman likely knew Avila would be killed for a drug debt. They've also said Bruce Anthony Lorenzen, charged with drug crimes, hosted the people who killed Avila hours before the shooting June 30, 2005.
Both Bauman and Lorenzen were charged with selling meth for Michael Petzold, who pleaded guilty last October for his role in Avila's murder and avoided the death penalty.
Jorge "Sneaky" Arandas, Gabriel Martinez and a defendant whose name has not been released also face murder-related charges.
Wessels, Bauman, Petzold and Martinez all have ties to Breckenridge, Minn.
The court ordered the case unsealed but most documents remain private, including the latest indictment spelling out details of the case. The indictment also isn't listed on the public docket, which lists documents filed in the case.
