Kristofer Erlbacher employed his truck to hit Caleb Solberg who was still alive after the initial hit. He drove off but then returned to run him twice more

A man who struck his friend with an old pickup truck, after an argument over mayonnaise was sentenced to life in prison. Kristofer Erlbacher drove his truck to smash Caleb Solberg outside a cafe in the city in Pisgah, Iowa in the USA on the 17th of December 2020.

The pair were out drinking in a bar along with a third individual earlier in the night in the nearby town of Moorhead the night before, but things changed when 29-year-old Erlbacher put mayonnaise on Mr Solberg’s food , which ignited an argument in the bar, according to the Woodbine Twiner-Herald said.

An angry Erlbacher confronted Mr Solberg’s half-brother, Craig Pryor, on the route to the cafe. He threatened to set the house of Solberg on the fire and kill the man, according to the newspaper.

Mr Pryor later returned to the cafe Dave’s Old Home and another argument was in the making.

Erlbacher later rammed his vehicle into the Pryor’s and then hit 30-year-old Mr Solberg as well.

Mr. Pryor said during the jury: “It was just another bar fight in Harrison County, until it wasn’t any longer.”

District Court Judge Greg Steensland wrote in the decision: “Erlbacher’s first blow to Solberg did not kill him.

“He is heard screaming for Craig Pryor’s brother.

“Rather than just leave, Erlbacher went down the street, turned around, and came back to strike Solberg a second time … To be sure he had completed the job, Erlbacher drove his truck up and over Solberg one last time.”

Erlbacher left and his vehicle was unable to start a few minutes after.

In the call, he said to Pryor that he was the one who killed Solberg According to the verdict.

Erlbacher said he was acting in reckless ways and was not a nefarious killer of Solberg.

In an effort to reduce the charges in second degree murder that carries a sentence of 50 years instead of life imprisonment, Erlbacher argued he was drunk.

The defense also claimed that it was justifiable to use the force of death to protect himself.

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A judge named Steenseland stated: “Even if Erlbacher is drunk the judge can hold him accountable for his actions in the event that he had the mental capacity to create the precise intention required.

“Intoxication is a defense, only if it results in mental impairment that renders the person incapable of forming an exact intention.

“The Evidence in this instance indicates that Erlbacher was not in imminent danger, which would have necessitated the use of force to kill Solberg.

“The evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Erlbacher acted without justification.”

Erlbacher was found guilty following an appeal in December the previous year. He was sentenced to live on Monday.

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