Small Town Murder – “My Name Is Murder – Gardner, North Dakota”

Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmy Whisman

Release Date: October 10, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, James and Jimmy take listeners on a true crime journey to Gardner, North Dakota – a nearly-forgotten, tiny rural town best known for little more than its prairie quiet and lack of murder. But that changes with a shocking story about identity theft, small-town intrigue, and cold-blooded murder. They unravel the wild and complicated tale of Timothy Wicks, Dennis James Gade, and a murder plot born from desperation, deception, and the bizarre desire to, as the title suggests, “be murder.”

The hosts provide plenty of researched detail, signature banter, and comic relief, livening up what is fundamentally a grim and winding story of fraud and homicide in one of America’s least likely places for violent crime.

Gardner, North Dakota: The Setting (05:53)

• Population: Around 72; swells to ~100 in the summer.
• Median income: $68,750; houses ~$187,500.
• Description: Essentially a two-block farming hamlet hugging the Minnesota border, “a place where farmers gather for coffee.”
• Atmosphere: “Not a goddamn thing to do.” Prairie, stargazing, the local post office, County Line Bar & Grill (“rude bartender, warm beer…if they don’t like you, you’re not getting shit.” 09:18)
• Memorable moment: The hosts riff on the “things to do” list, including “spotting locals” as if birdwatching, and sharing tales of epic North Dakota snowstorms.
  • “Go spot the local. Shh. Don’t spook them.” – James (10:26)

Introduction of Timothy Wicks & Diana (11:32)

• August 2001: “New couple in town” – Tim (over 6'2", 350 lbs, gregarious) and Diana Wicks, with a young son.
• Local bar story: Diana, wanting a martini, is told “couldn’t do it” due to lack of vodka and ice. Diana complains, “This is like Petticoat Junction. I can’t even get a martini! I can’t even get a pizza delivered to my house.”
  • “That’s my rule for won’t live there: Can I get a half decent pizza delivered?” – James (12:11)

Tim’s Job and Integration (14:34)

• Gets accountant job in Fargo, drums at jam night (“He could keep a beat. Doesn’t that sound awful?” – James, 16:06)
• Buys farmhouse, gets insurance, North Dakota driver’s license.

The Real Tim Wicks and a Case of Stolen Identity (17:30)

The Real Story:

• The man living in Gardner as “Tim Wicks” is not the real Timothy Wicks. The real Tim is a 5’8", 150lbs jazz drummer from Milwaukee, known for perfect Fleetwood Mac covers.
• The Gardner “Tim” is actually Dennis James Gade, a career con-man and failed informant/cop with a long criminal history:
  • Identity theft, fraud, aiding an escape, time in jail, undercover stints for the police, and repeated failed attempts to vanish and reinvent himself under false names.
  • “The only conviction he got us was himself.” – Marshfield police chief (22:47)
• Dennis’s criminal past includes time as an informant, failed undercover agent, and refugee attempt in Canada under multiple dead-children’s identities—“the best thing to do is get on a stage with lights on you” (26:03), jokes James about Dennis starting a band while on the run.

Notable Quote:
“He served 90 days in jail for that. And one of the police chief of Marshfield said: 'The only conviction he got us was himself.'” (22:46)

Marriage, Flight, and a Life Built on Lies (34:55)

• Dennis quickly marries Diana Frug in 2001. Diana’s background involves escaping abusive partners; she’s won over by Dennis’s (deceptive) charm.
• Three months after marrying, Dennis confesses his past legal trouble in Wisconsin (escape/felony charges).
• Facing certain prison time and claiming everyone from bikers to prosecutors wants him dead, Dennis skips bail with Diana and her son, breaking custody laws.

Building a New Life in North Dakota … and Escalating the Scam (39:19)

• Dennis (as “Tim Wicks”) starts work as an accountant in Fargo—quickly arouses suspicion with missing petty cash, then $4,000 in company funds, and finally, giving himself a fraudulent Christmas bonus.
  • “I have done a hell of a job this year. I feel like, you know, I deserve this.” – James (40:06)
• Police open embezzlement investigation.
• Complicating factor: The real Tim Wicks calls Dennis about credit card fraud, prompting panic.

The Murder Plot Unfolds (41:29)

The Road to Homicide:

• December 2001: Real Tim Wicks tells friends he’s leaving for Canada with Dennis for a “band job” (Dennis’s concoction).
• Tim leaves a note with his landlord, then disappears after loading drums into his car with Dennis.

The Timeline (43:05)

• Dec 29: Dennis rents a backhoe with Tim’s credit card.
• Dec 30: Buys axe, gloves, burlap sacks, shears, and rents a U-haul—all with Tim’s credit.
• Early January: Friends report Tim missing; a torso is discovered on a Michigan riverbank (44:16); U-Haul clocked at 1,786 miles on return.

Investigation Stumbles:
Two police departments are both investigating a “Tim Wicks,” realizing the physical descriptions don’t match; the real Wicks is now a murder victim, and Dennis’s ruse begins to unravel.

Discovery, Capture, and Confession (53:07)

Manhunt & Arrest (53:07)

• Dennis and Diana flee in an RV, aiming for Canada, then Mexico (plan: “live on the beach and sell fruit from the back of a truck”).
  • “Imagine that's your getaway. That's your dismount from nine grand.” – James (51:44)
• Recognized at a Nebraska RV park; arrested by a swarm of FBI and local police.

Diana’s Initial Story and Flip (54:46)

• Diana brags in jail: “I killed him because he raped me.”
• Letters between Dennis and Diana reveal the rape story is concocted as a legal defense.
• Eventually, two years later, Diana recounts the real story, confessing Dennis’s plot and murder.

The Details of the Crime (64:37)

• December 28, 2001: Diana asleep upstairs with son; Dennis and Tim drink and smoke.
• Diana woken by Dennis: “Come downstairs.” Tim is shot but still alive; Dennis suffocates him with a plastic bag.
  • “He’s still breathing—so Dennis got a plastic bag…and put it over his head until he stopped breathing.” (65:02)
• Dismemberment in U-haul as Diana and her son sat in front with music blaring—grisly and surreal.
  • “She said she tried to forget the sounds of the banging and hacking. She said you could just hear bang, bang, bang. And it seemed like it was never going to stop.” (67:52)
• Remains dumped in Michigan riverbank; head and hands separated to hinder identification.
• Diana, feeling trapped and fearing for her life and son, goes along in silence for years.

Legal Aftermath and Trial (73:32)

• Dennis is eventually charged with murder (August 2005) after serving prison time for embezzlement.
• No physical evidence directly connecting him (no murder weapon, no blood), but Diana’s testimony, financial and rental records, and circumstantial evidence pile up.
• Defense pins crime on Diana, calling her “a demon.” Prosecution dismantles this, painting Dennis as pathologically deceitful and remorseless.

Notable Quotes:

• “This case has some remarkable aspects to it. Ones that I haven’t seen before, and ones I trust I will never see again.” – DA (73:33)

• “I think Dennis is a liar…he’s made a life out of living a lie and spinning that lie to everyone around him.” – Prosecutor (77:36)

• Dennis: “She may be sending me to prison today, but my conscience is clear that I am not a murderer.” (77:37)

• Verdict: Convicted of intentional murder—life without parole.

• Diana: Never charged with the murder, only with custodial interference (“scot free, got away with everything” – 75:38).

Appeals: Dennis’s attempts—including claims of PTSD—are all denied. North Dakota Supreme Court affirms (including the disputed biblical reference in closing arguments).

Hosts’ Key Reflections and Memorable Lines

• On Gardner, ND:
  “Not a goddamn thing to do… Prairie people-watching or impromptu farm chats. Knock on a door politely…” (09:28)
• On small town crime:
  “They only get about 10 murders per year in the whole state… they’re so far apart they can’t hit—they can’t shoot somebody from that distance. It’s hard.” (05:52)
• On Dennis’s criminal path:
  “He had, like, a 10-hour drive to change his mind and everything.” (80:31)
• On the pointless escalation:
  “Over nine grand. Stole an identity and then decided, I gotta kill him.” – Jimmy (80:01)
• On small-town prosecution:
  “There’s limited prosecutorial experience in North Dakota murder trials…most of them are dunkers, domestics, where the guy’s in the front lawn with a bloody knife in one hand, a beer in the other, going, 'I killed the bitch.'” (71:24)

Episode Timeline (Key Timestamps)

• [05:53] – Introduction to Gardner, North Dakota
• [11:32] – The “new” Tim and Diana Wicks arrive in town
• [17:30] – The real Tim Wicks phones about credit card fraud
• [22:47] – Dennis’s criminal record, failures as an undercover cop and informant
• [34:55] – Dennis marries Diana; they go on the run
• [39:19] – Embezzlement, company starts getting suspicious
• [41:29] – Real Tim is lured to Gardner for invented “band job”
• [44:16] – Tim’s torso found on Michigan riverbank; the manhunt widens
• [53:07] – Dennis and Diana caught at Nebraska RV campground
• [64:37] – Diana’s confession: real details of the murder and aftermath
• [73:32] – Murder charges; trial and legal challenges
• [80:01] – Hosts' closing takeaways; moral of the story

Final Thoughts

James and Jimmy close the episode reflecting on the sheer senselessness and complexity of the murder—a relatively trivial embezzlement spiraling into a grisly killing and cross-country manhunt. Dennis Gade, a lifelong grifter, ultimately receives life without parole, while Diana Wicks avoids further prosecution despite her role as accessory after the fact.

“That is Gardner, North Dakota. Over nine grand, stole an identity, then decided I gotta kill him… Just a complete asshole just trying to dismount, keep his plate spinning.” – James (80:10)

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