Iowa Man Sentenced to Life for Killing His Friend in Fight About Mayonnaise

According to reports, A Iowa man was sentenced to life in prison after running over a friend repeatedly with a pickup truck over a fight about mayonnaise.

In December 2020, Kristofer Erlbacher, now 29, crashed his truck into Caleb Solberg, 30, outside a café in the small town of Pisgah, the Des Moines Register reported. After initially driving away, Erlbacher returned and ran over Solberg twice more.

According to the Woodbine Twiner-Herald, after drinking at a bar in nearby Moorhead, the two got into a fight when Erlbacher spread mayo on Solberg’s food, sparking a bar fight.

The newspaper reported that Erlbacher called his half-brother, Craig Pryor, on his way to the café and threatened to set fire to Solberg’s house and shoot him. Pryor then returned to Dave’s Old Home in Pisgah, where another fight was in progress.

After ramming into Pryor’s truck, Erlbacher rammed into Solberg.

“Erlbacher’s first blow to Solberg did not kill him. He can be heard screaming for his brother, Craig Pryor,” District Judge Greg Steensland wrote in the verdict.

“Rather than just leave, Erlbacher went down the street, turned around, and came back to strike Solberg a second time … To be sure he had completed the job, Erlbacher drove his truck up and over. Solberg one last time.”

Erlbacher then drove away, but his truck broke down shortly after that. According to the verdict, he told Pryor on the phone that he had killed Solberg.

Erlbacher was found guilty in December of last year after a bench trial, and he was sentenced on Monday.