They obtained quite a few threatening letters, too, Ms. Brandt-Duda stated. One was written on the margins of an article concerning the incident from The New York Post, she stated. The newspaper lined the case extensively and in addition revealed an opinion column arguing that the “president of the United States, supported by a fan-girl media, spouts irresponsible rhetoric that led to Ellingson’s death.”

“Everything just exploded,” Ms. Brandt-Duda stated.

The county court docket and sheriff’s places of work additionally obtained quite a few threats, in response to a number of native officers. On Sept. 29, 11 days after Mr. Ellingson’s loss of life, the county prosecutor, Kara Brinster, dropped the preliminary cost of vehicular murder, which is used for deadly drunken driving accidents, for a brand new one: intentional murder, which carries a sentence of as much as life in jail.

Ms. Brinster didn’t reply to requests for touch upon the choice.

Then, as shortly because it swelled, the media frenzy receded. Fox Digital, the TV community’s on-line arm, continued to publish articles that acknowledged the extra difficult story that was rising from officers. But Fox News’s hosts didn’t point out the case on-air once more after Sept. 30.

Asked for remark, a Fox spokeswoman, Jessica Ketner, famous the corporate’s on-line articles however didn’t touch upon the community’s tv protection.

Gateway Pundit, too, stopped publishing tales on the case. Politicians who had been fast to talk out appeared to lose curiosity. Mr. Trump, Ms. Greene, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Wrigley, the North Dakota legal professional common, didn’t reply to requests for remark.