Beloved hog farmer killed and wife assaulted by disgruntled madman who was going through a divorce

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:35, 14 April 2026 | Updated: 20:35, 14 April 2026 A Nebraska man was murdered by an attacker searching for his estranged wife on his family hog farm.  Brian Gabel, 44, was shot and killed at his hog farm, Happy Hogs LLC, in Osceola on April 6, according to the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP). Investigators believe the gunman, identified as Wesley Absher, 40, drove to Gabel's farm because his wife was at the business. It is unclear why Absher's unidentified wife was at the hog farm at the time. After Absher shot and killed Gabel, he kidnapped his wife and drove her to another location on the farm ground, where he assaulted her, police said. At that second location, investigators believe Absher shot himself, and the woman was able to drive herself to a police station, according to NSP. Gabel was pronounced deceased at the scene, and Absher was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. Absher died from his injuries the next day, KOLN reported. Brian Gabel, 44, was shot and killed at his hog farm, Happy Hogs LLC, in Osceola on April 6 Gabel (pictured with is three kids) was killed by a man who was searching for his wife at the hog farm Investigators have since learned that Absher and his wife were going through a divorce. Court records revealed that Absher had previously been found guilty of second-degree assault and terroristic threats in a separate case that involved his wife. He was accused of threatening his wife and assaulting her with a weapon on February 8. She told police that Absher had threatened to kill himself, but she was able to take away his gun. They went to the hospital, where she received treatment for a head injury, and Absher was arrested. On April 1, Absher took a plea deal and agreed to plead no contest to the charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony. He was released from jail on April 3, and his sentencing was set for June 10. Just three days later, he killed Gabel and attacked his wife. The investigation is ongoing, and the Daily Mail contacted NSP for more information. Investigators believe the gunman, identified as Wesley Absher, 40, drove to Gabel's farm because his wife was at the business Gabel shared three kids with is former wife, and was remembered by loved ones as a doting father and passionate farmer A funeral was held for Gabel on Friday. He shared three kids with is former wife, and was remembered by loved ones as a doting father and passionate farmer. 'Brian's love for his children was undeniable, you could always find him with a hug, a smile, a surprise sweet treat, an encouraging word, stupid joke, all while sipping a Diet Mt. Dew,' his obituary stated. 'He gave freely of his time and talents to help and benefit others.  He was a member of the Evangelical Free Church in Stromsburg and was highly valued as he shared his musical talents playing drums for various church services and events.  'Farming was part of Brian's daily life that he loved sharing with his children as well as creating unique metal art, welding projects, tinkering on anything and everything.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.