by Isle, Minnesota – A woman accused of helping her boyfriend move a dismembered murder victim’s body in a tote bag will not serve any additional time behind bars, after a judge accepted a plea agreement in Mille Lacs County.
The Crime and Cover-Up
Alexis Marion Elling, 24, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender, accessory after the fact in the 2023 killing of Rodney Pendegayosh Jr. According to prosecutors, Elling admitted she knew her boyfriend, 23-year-old Bradley Allen Weyaus Jr., had murdered Pendegayosh and that the tote bag they were transporting contained the victim’s remains.
Court records show Elling helped Weyaus move the body from a home in Isle, a small town about 100 miles north of Minneapolis. She also assisted in disposing of a shotgun case linked to the killing. For two days, prosecutors said, she “kept track” of the tote bag until authorities eventually recovered it along a snowy roadside.
The chilling discovery was made by a public works crew collecting garbage in March 2023. Workers spotted what they believed was a severed human foot sticking out of the bungee-cord–bound tote bag and immediately alerted police.
Sentencing Outcome
Elling, who had already served nearly a year in jail while awaiting trial, was sentenced this month to 57 months in prison. However, under the plea agreement, the sentence was stayed, provided she follows the strict terms of her probation.
She was credited for 324 days served in jail and released under conditions that include refraining from alcohol and drugs. If she violates probation, the suspended prison term could be reinstated.
The Murder and Motive
Weyaus, who admitted to fatally shooting Pendegayosh, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to second-degree murder. In July, he was sentenced to 306 months—25 years and six months—in prison.
Investigators believe the motive stemmed from suspicions that Pendegayosh had supplied Elling’s brother with a lethal mixture of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton described the case as anything but ordinary.
“This whole thing is truly bizarre,” Burton said at the time charges were filed. “This body was moved multiple places for a period of possibly up to a week before the discovery was made.”
A Grisly Trail of Evidence
Authorities pieced together the couple’s actions through forensic evidence and surveillance video.
- Surveillance footage showed Elling and Weyaus carrying the tote bag out of their apartment and loading it into a black Chevrolet Impala.
- Investigators recovered a bloody carpet, gloves, and a hardware store receipt from a nearby dumpster.
- Pendegayosh’s ID and credit card were also found with the discarded items.
- A duffel bag linked to Weyaus contained a hacksaw, hammer, and tape matching what was used on the tote.
When police closed in, Weyaus attempted to flee in a white Saturn, but the vehicle became stuck in a driveway. Homeowners pointed police to a camper trailer on their property, where Weyaus was arrested.
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Defense Arguments and Trauma History
According to Law & Crime, In a sentencing memorandum, Weyaus’ attorney argued that his actions were partly shaped by generational trauma and systemic neglect affecting Native American communities.
The memo described Weyaus’ childhood as marked by abuse, instability, and exposure to violence—including witnessing his mother being stabbed by his grandmother at age 10. His defense team noted that he later turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with unresolved trauma and depression.
“Sleeping inside Bradley Weyaus are fragments of traumas too great to be resolved in one generation,” his attorney wrote.
Aftermath
While Weyaus faces decades in prison, Elling has avoided more time behind bars. Her fate now rests on successfully completing probation without violations.
For Pendegayosh’s family, however, the brutal nature of his death and the disturbing aftermath continue to cast a long shadow. Authorities maintain that while the motive may have been rooted in anger and loss, the way the crime was carried out was chilling in its deliberation.
What’s your reaction to this disturbing case? Do you think Elling’s probation sentence was too lenient, or fair considering her cooperation? Share your thoughts in the comments at ibwhsmag.com.
