The State Medical Examiner in Ramsey County, Minnesota determined Delbert Huber, the man convicted of shooting and killing a beloved St. Michael-Albertville Middle School West teacher, died of natural causes in prison.
The elder Huber, who has been in custody since his arrest in 2011 and was convicted of the second-degree murder of Timothy Larson, was sentenced to spend 40 years in jail. He died after serving less than 10 percent of that sentence. An autopsy showed he was sickened by a perforated gastric ulcer.
Huber was interviewed by WCCO-TV about Jacob Wetterling’s 1980s kidnapping in June as he sat in a jail. A day later, Huber was found dead in the Faribault Correctional Facility.
During his interview with Esme Murphy, he repeatedly denied any involvement in Jacob Wetterling’s disappearance. Authorities questioned him in recent weeks after receiving numerous tips from the public.
Police and investigators around the Paynesville area thought Huber to be a suspect for two factors: one of the boys with Wetterling described the kidnapper, who ordered the boys to look away, as having a deep, gruff voice. The other was a drawing made of a description offered by a worker of a nearby convenience store, which resembled Delbert Huber.
Huber’s son, Timothy, continues to serve his 40-year term for second-degree murder in a state prison. He was tried and convicted after extensive mental evaluation in 2012.