A judge Monday found a Fairbank man who shot and killed his son not guilty by reason of insanity. 60 year old Daniel Niebuhr was charged with first-degree murder after shooting his son, Brock Niebuhr, of Dike, on March 22, 2019. Authorities said the younger Niebuhr was sitting on a couch watching television when his father walked up behind him and shot him in the head. Niebuhr pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Court documents said Niebuhr’s behavior began to change in August 2018. He was taken to an emergency room in February 2019 for evaluation. After being prescribed medication, he was released. A day after being taken to the hospital, Niebuhr attacked his brother and was committed to Allen Hospital in Waterloo for 10 days. Doctors said Niebuhr appeared to be hearing voices but his condition improved when he took the medication. Niebuhr apparently stopped taking the medication after being released from Allen Hospital. Niebuhr will be held at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale.
