Body Found Near Northfield Leads to 40 Year Prison Sentence

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Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering a man whose body was later found in a culvert near Northfield.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says 41-year-old Ivan Contreras-Sanchez was convicted of a second-degree murder charge in the case in late July. The jury that found him guilty also determined the were aggravating factors that supported an upward departure from state sentencing guidelines. A news release says the 480-month sentence is the maximum allowed for a second-degree murder conviction.

Contreras-Sanchez was accused of brutally beating 39-year-old Manuel Mandujano and causing his death in March of last year. Investigators determined the murder occurred in Minneapolis and the victim's body was transported to an area south of Lakeville and left in a farming culvert along a rural road about 5 miles north of Northfield.

The criminal complaint indicates Contrera-Sanchez was linked to the crime through an electronic device that was found near the body and was connected to his email.