Beck murder suspect pleads not guilty

The man accused in the 25-year-old cold case murder of Berit Beck pleaded not guilty Friday.

Dennis Brantner, 61, of Kenosha, who is accused of Beck's 1990 murder and disappearance, appeared in Judge Gary Sharpe's courtroom Friday with attorney Craig Powell at the Fond du Lac County City/County Government Center.

The next court proceeding has not yet been scheduled.

The 18-year-old Beck was murdered in July 1990 after she stopped in Fond du Lac while traveling from her home in Sturtevant to Appleton for a work seminar. Her van was discovered in a parking lot at Forest Plaza on West Johnson Street three days after she disappeared. Her body was discovered six weeks later in a ditch in rural western Fond du Lac County. An autopsy report suggests she had died of strangulation or asphyxiation.

About a year ago, officials told The Reporter "tangible physical evidence" led them to believe Brantner was in Beck's van. Last April, Fond du Lac County Sheriff Mick Fink adamantly said the evidence in police possession placed Brantner in the vehicle.

The evidence was not new. It had been recovered from Beck's van and submitted to the State Crime Lab in 1990. When investigators asked the Crime Lab to retest evidence late last year, a fingerprint match with Brantner was made, officials said.

Brantner has a history of violence against women. He served jail time for breaking into an unoccupied house to spy on his first wife and stealing a car in 1989 in Green Lake County. In 1994, according to the criminal complaint, Brantner was arrested for kidnapping and beating his estranged second wife. According to the report, he hid in the woman's car and grabbed her when she fled, pushed her up against a car and threatened her, claiming he had a knife. She said he kept her against her will for four hours.

According to the criminal complaint:

When interviewed by police in 2014, Brantner said he had no explanation for why his fingerprints were in Beck's van. Nine fingerprints were collected that matched his. They were the only ones from someone investigators said had no reason to be in the van. The Beck family had no knowledge of Brantner until he was identified as a possible suspect in 2014.

Brantner denied having any role in killing Beck and said he couldn't remember or didn't want to remember what happened.

Brantner is being held on a $1 million bond.

Reach Justin Kabbes at jkabbes@gannett.com or at 920-907-7925.