Who is Michael Diedrich, Fargo Man Arrested for Stabbing and Killing Ethan Larson?

Michael Diedrich has been arrested and charged with murder after he stabbed and killed Ethan Larson following an argument in Fargo, ND.

Diedrich, 28, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. Thursday after an argument with another man, identified as Ethan Larson, in the parking lot of the SouthTown PourHouse turned deadly.

The suspect and the victim, also in his 20s, are believed to have been exchanging words in the SouthTown PourHouse around 1 a.m. Thursday and were thrown out by the staff of the establishment.

After that, Diedrich hunted down Larson with a knife and stabbed him to death before fleeing the scene.

Michael Diedrich Arrested for Ethan Larson Murder

michael diedrich of fargo, nd arrested for stabbing ethan larson

Police arrested 28-year-old Michael Diedrich in South Fargo around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, accused of stabbing a man to death.

The Fargo Police Department (PD) were called to the parking lot of SouthTown PourHouse and Duane’s House of Pizza just before 1 a.m. where they found a male stabbing victim in his 20s.

He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

During the investigation, police learned Diedrich and the victim were arguing before they were both told to leave the establishment by staff.

Police say Diedrich fled the scene after the stabbing.

“I don’t want to get into the details of the argument yet, because we’re still very much under investigation into what’s going on and why this happened. But immediately from that time forward we started looking for a suspect,” said Fargo Police Captain Bill Ahlfeldt.

In a statement released via social media, Fargo PD said: “Michael Diedrich, 28-year-old male, has been arrested for murder in connection to a stabbing death and was taken into custody by The Fargo Police Department on Thursday, March 28, at 1:27 p.m. in south Fargo.

“At approximately 12:57 a.m. on March 28, FPD officers were called to the 4200 block of 45th Street South for a report of a stabbing.

At approximately 12:57 a.m. on March 28, FPD officers were called to the 4200 block of 45th Street South for a report of a stabbing. When officers arrived on scene, an adult male victim appeared to have been stabbed. Fargo Fire Department and Sanford Ambulance personnel provided
— Fargo Police (@FargoPolice) March 28, 2024

“When officers arrived on scene, an adult male victim appeared to have been stabbed. Fargo Fire Department and Sanford Ambulance personnel provided emergency care to the victim and transported him to a local medical facility where he was later pronounced deceased.

“Through a preliminary investigation, FPD officers learned that the suspect & victim were verbally arguing before they were both told to leave the establishment.

“The suspect is believed to have stabbed the victim outside of the establishment and then fled the scene.

“Information related to the victim’s identity will be released after next-of-kin have been notified,” the statement concluded.

The victim has since been identified as Ethan Larson also of Fargo.

Following the arrest, Captain Ahfeldt said: “This situation — we’ve seen many like this over the years with our criminal investigations division along with our neighborhood services division, and how well they work together,”

He added: “This is just another case of that great teamwork . . . that helped bring this case to a very quick conclusion with an arrest for murder in roughly 12 hours.”

The captain also had words of advice for people on how to avoid a similar fate as Larson’s.

“I would always say if someone is trying to get you into some type of fight or altercation, probably best to walk away if you can,” he said.

“Obviously, everyone has a right to defend themselves, and they know when that time would be if they had to. But always best to try to walk away and get out of that situation if you can.”

Related – Rockford stabbing spree

Prior to the arrest of Michael Diedrich for stabbing Ethan Larson to death, a far worse horror occured in Rockford, Illinois where four were killed in a stabbing and crime spree fuelled by drugs.

Christian Ivan Soto, 22, went on a rampage through the streets of Rockford, Illinois after apparently smoking marijuana laced with narcotics.

During his stabbing and crime spree, he killed four people and wounded another five.

The victims were identified Thursday as 63-year-old Ramona Schubach, 23-year-old Jacob Schubach, 49-year-old Jay Larson and 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb.

jacob schupbach — Rockford stabbing victims

According to Winnebago County State’s Attorney, J. Hanley, Jacob Schupach and Christian Soto were friends and Soto had visited the former and smoked weed together.

His crime spree started after the drugs took hold and Soto reportedly told officers he believed the marijuana made him paranoid.

He started his crimes by stabbing to death Jacob and Ramona Schupbach in their homes.

Witnesses described chasing Schubach outside with a black object, said Hanley.

The suspect then tried running over Jacob Schubach with a vehicle, but was unsuccessful.

Schubach ran inside but was followed by Soto.

Soto admitted to police he stabbed Ramona and Jacob Schubach to death and confessed to killing Jay Larson, who has been identified as a postal carrier

Witnesses told police that they saw Soto beating and stabbing Larson.

Soto was seen grabbing a knife from the vehicle he was driving, and stabbing Larson multiple times throughout his body.

He then ran over Larson, twice, with a vehicle before he fled.

The 4th victim murdered by Christian Ivan Soto was Jenna Newcomb, a 15-year-old who was watching movies with her sister and a friend when the suspect broke into their home.

Soto bludgeoned Newcomb to death with a softball bat and injured her sister and friend.

Fargo, ND

Fargo is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 216th most populous city in the United States.

Fargo, along with its twin city of Moorhead, Minnesota, and the adjacent cities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota, form the core of the Fargo–Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Fargo was founded in 1871 on the Red River of the North floodplain.

It is a cultural, retail, health care, educational, and industrial center for southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.

North Dakota State University is located in the city.

Historically part of Sioux (Dakota) territory, the area that is present-day Fargo was an early stopping point for steamboats traversing the Red River during the 1870s and 1880s.

The city was originally named “Centralia”, but was later renamed “Fargo” after Northern Pacific Railway director and Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo (1818–1881).

Fargo sits on the western bank of the Red River of the North in a flat geographic region known as the Red River Valley.

The Red River Valley resulted from the withdrawal of glacial Lake Agassiz, which drained away about 9,300 years ago. The lake sediments deposited from Lake Agassiz made the land around Fargo some of the richest in the world for agricultural uses.

As of the census of 2020, there were 125,990 people living in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 82.5% White; 8.0% African American; 4.0% Asian; 1.2% Native American; 0.6% from other races; and 3.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.2% of the population.

Thank you for reading Who is Michael Diedrich, Fargo Man Arrested for Stabbing and Killing Ethan Larson?