The 1965 Mankato Gas Station Murder

On the evening early morning of September 26, 1965, 18-year-old gas station attendant Ray Dahms was shot and killed while working alone at an all-night gas station near Rapidan and Mankato, Minnesota. The killing stunned the quiet farming communities of Blue Earth County.

Within hours, police arrested 17-year-old Brian Lee Hendrickson, a local high school student living in nearby Mankato. Investigators described the crime as a robbery gone wrong, but the details — and Hendrickson’s later behavior have come into question by Dakota Spotlight’s research and investigation.

In the years after the murder, Hendrickson served time in a Minnesota State Prison, was eventually paroled, and went on to commit other crimes. His release and repeated encounters with the law raise enduring questions about how the state handled his rehabilitation and parole.

Nearly sixty years later, Dakota Spotlight revisits this story to uncover what really happened that night — who these two young men were, and how the case shaped their families and community for generations. Through extensive original reporting and interviews with people connected to both sides of the story — friends and classmates of Ray Dahms, relatives of Brian Lee Hendrickson, and even a later victim of Hendrickson’s crimes — the season brings new context and first-hand insight to a case long buried in silence.

Season 12 of the Dakota Spotlight true crime podcast — Meanwhile in Mankato: Lies, Silence & Murder in Minnesota — explores the full story of the 1965 Mankato gas station murder, revealing new insights into the investigation, the aftermath, and the decisions that allowed Hendrickson to walk free.

Explore more

To learn more about the people and events behind this story, explore:

  • Listen: Meanwhile in Mankato — the six-part Dakota Spotlight podcast series exploring the 1965 Mankato Gas Station Murder.
  • Read: Ray Dahms — a look at the 18-year-old gas-station attendant killed near Mankato in 1965.
  • Read: Brian Lee Hendrickson — the teenager convicted of the crime and later linked to other offenses.
  • Read: Overview of the case — background information on the 1965 Mankato Gas Station Murder explored in Season 12 of Dakota Spotlight.