Walter Fahrenkopf, 40, of Fulton, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2023 shooting death of Jeffrey Mickle of Middleburgh, whose body was found in a junk yard in November in the Town of Broome.
Fahrenkopf pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter, a Class B violent felony, and concealment of a human corpse, a Class E felony, in Schoharie County Court last Monday, according to District Attorney Susan Mallery.
He will be sentenced on November 4, when he’s expected to receive a prison term of 20 years.
It was on Wednesday, November 29, that Mr. Mickle, 41, was reported missing, four days after he was last seen, and Schoharie County Sheriffs began investigating.
That investigation led to the discovery of Mr. Mickle’s body, deceased, with multiple gunshot wounds, concealed under a truck cap in a Town of Broome junk yard.
Fahrenkopf, 39, was one of two men charged in the murder.
Also arrested was Michael Todtschinder, 24, of Middleburgh.
According to a press release from the DA, “On November 25, 2023, in the Town of Fulton, Mr. Fahrenkopf, and his co-defendant(s) caused the death of Mr. Mickle by shooting Mr. Mickle multiple times.
“The defendant and his codefendant(s) concealed the corpse of Mr. Mickle under a truck cap in a junk yard in the Town of Broome.”
Mr. Mickle, a graduate of Schoharie Central School, was remembered as a sportsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing and as a devoted family man.