Pertgen v. State

OPINION

On July 3, 1986, appellant Wes Pertgen brutally murdered his landlord. He then bound the landlord’s feet and mouth with duct tape and put the body in a refrigerator. The next day, Pertgen met a woman and offered her money to engage in sexual acts with him. When the woman refused, Pertgen beat her and sexually assaulted her. Pertgen then chained the woman’s hands and feet, wrapped her in a blanket, threw her in a drainage ditch, and covered her with sagebrush.

Later that day, Pertgen went to a hospital emergency room, put two guns on the counter, and asked for help. The hospital security…