Stutsman County inmate charged for threatening to kill State’s Attorney’s son

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A man who is serving a 25 year sentence for sex crimes against a minor, is facing additional charges of terrorizing, witness tampering and aggravated assault in two unrelated cases.

According to court documents, several inmates reported that Zeferino Carlos Rangel was making threats and actively planning to kill the son of Stutsman County State’s Attorney Fritz Fremgen.

Inmates said Rangel claimed to have connections with the Mexican Cartel, and allegedly gave a list of names, phone numbers and instructions to another inmate about who to contact to carry out the murder of Fremgen’s son in retaliation for prosecuting his case. During a search warrant, a detective discovered a list of names and numbers that are believed to be the instructions in question.

Court documents state that one inmate was moved to a different cell block for his safety, after Rangel allegedly threatened to stab him for “being a snitch.”

Rangel is charged with aggravated assault in a separate case, accused of stabbing a man in Jamestown back in 2022. According to court documents, the victim initially didn’t file an assault charge because he was worried for his safety and the safety of his family.

Rangel appeared in court via Zoom on Thursday, September 14, in relation to the two terrorizing charges, witness tampering and aggravated assault charge. His felony jury trial was canceled and a change of plea hearing is now scheduled for October 20. Rangel previously pleaded not guilty to the charges in June of 2023.

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