NEW ULM — The last murder that took place in the city was nearly four decades ago.

“It occurred in August of 1987 and involved a situation where a young guy named John Tenneson, now known as John Miller murdered his boss at Jake’s Pizza,” said New Ulm Police Chief David Borchert.

Miller, a teenager in 1987, worked as a pizza delivery driver for William Schaefer, the owner of Jake’s Pizza on Minnesota Street, according to Borchert and ended up allegedly stabbing Schaefer for an unpaid debt of $700.

When it comes to homicide, Borchert said there are many contributors including mental health challenges, poverty, substance abuse, and access to weapons.

Borchert deems that most murders are avoidable.

“I believe a lot of homicides could be prevented but strong emotions — anger and fear — are driving forces that we had with the Schaefer homicide. One thing leads to another and ultimately someone ends up dead. It’s very tragic,” Borchert said.

It’s relatively rare for a community to go years long or prolonged times without experiencing another homicide. There a variety of reasons that contribute to a community being homicide free for an extended amount of time. Among those factors are having a caring and close-knit community, open communication with law enforcement, education, and positive relationships between the public and police. Borchert says that fostering and nurturing ongoing communication and connection with New Ulm residents has been critical in homicide prevention.

“We in law enforcement have a very close connection with the community,” he said. “We do presentations on a regular basis and we have coffee with a cop. I believe that kind of connection with our community is extremely valuable. For a small town like New Ulm, I think that definitely pays in dividends.”

In addition to engaging with the public, Borchert says there is regular training for peace officers that includes firearms training, defensive tactics, and use of force training which keeps police updated on best practices. Borchert also says public trust and law enforcement being a part of the community rather than separate from it are reasons he believes the homicide rate has been zero for so long. Additionally, he says if any resident should see a crime happen or suspect a crime of occurring to immediately contact law enforcement and to always remain safe.

“If you’re concerned about something, please share it,” he said. “There’s no inconvenience to us because that is simply our job.”