Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

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Tim Jackson, the teen who died early Saturday morning, was fatally stabbed by a man he was trying to rob.

Jackson, 17, was an American Indian who had just been accepted to college, according to a family friend. On Tuesday, 17-year-old Andre Sheldon Whirlwind Horse, was charged with attempted robbery, Minnesota Public Radio reports:

Whirlwind Horse told police he and Jackson had planned to go to the Greenway to find someone to beat up and rob.

​ A teen who died early Saturday was an American Indian who had just been accepted to college.

At about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, Minneapolis cops were called to a report of a robbery at East 28th Street and Hiawatha Avenue South. They found Tim Jackson wounded, a victim of a stabbing. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he later died. Police were not certain how the robbery related to the stabbing.

Jackson was an American Indian who planned to go to college. The Star Tribune talked to a family friend of Jackson's:

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The man who killed his wife in St. Paul on Monday admitted the crime to police and to Regions hospital staff.

When the Regions staff asked if he felt like hurting himself, Gerald B. Wassenaar, 67, responded "C'mon, I killed my wife. What do you think?" according to the criminal complaint, the Star Tribune reports. Later, he told police "I did it. I killed her."

Jean Andrine Wassenaar, 67, was found dead in her home about 9:30 p.m. Monday. Police found Gerald Wassenaar near Lake Elmo earlier that evening, sitting a stalled car and in a confused state of mind. A sheriff's deputy took him to his home on Barclay Street in St. Paul, but he refused to enter the house. Here's more details from the Strib:

​ Police suspect that another Minnesota woman has been killed by her romantic partner.

At around 9:30 p.m. Monday, St. Paul police responded to a 911 call in the 1000 block of Barclay Street. Inside the house, they found 67-year-old Jean Andrine Wassenaar lying on the floor, dead. Her husband was outside the house when police arrived. He told them he was locked out.

The man was very upset and was taken to Regions Hospital to be evaluated. Police consider him a suspect. Results of the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office autopsy, which should show how the woman died, will be released later today.

​ The Somali man shot dead early Monday was a key witness against another Somali convicted of murder. Ali Ismael was slain in his car in Stevens Square.

Earlier this year, Ismael testified for the prosecution in the trial of Hassan Mohamed Abdilahi. Abdilahi was convicted of killing Abdishakur Hassan last year, outside of the Somali mall at 912 E. 24th Street. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

Ismael's murder has put a strain on relations between Somalis and the police, the Star Tribune is reporting. David Chanen's story pieces together the family ties and friendships that have led to this blood feud, as well as how this latest development may hamstring police efforts.

Last November, a 12-month string of violence had left five Twin Cities Somali men dead. The murders had abated until Ismael was killed this week. 

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A man was shot dead in his car in Stevens Square early today.

Minneapolis Police responded to the call shortly after 1 a.m., where they found the man dead inside his car near the intersection of Groveland and Nicollet Avenues. KSTP-TV is reporting that the man was a young Somali, and that four or five other people were in the car when the shooting occurred.

Police said they had no suspects, and that anyone with information should call the TIPS Line at 612-692-TIPS (8477).

​ A man who has already been convicted of murder pled guilty to another murder this week - the 1996 slaying of Wally Lundin.

Rommal Bennett, a 45-year-old man who is serving a life sentence in New York for another murder, pled guilty on Monday, just as jury selection was about to start, according to the Star Tribune. Lundin was one of several gay men murdered in the 1990s, whose deaths were never solved. City Pages wrote about Lundin, Bennett, and the string of violence against gay men earlier this year.

In April 1996, Lundin was found dead in his northeast Minneapolis home. He'd been hogtied and strangled. The case lay cold for nearly a dozen years, until in 2007, DNA evidence linked Bennett to the murder of Lundin.

Rommal Bennett

courtesy of the Times Herald Record

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Wally Lundin

image courtesy of Jeff Smollar

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Police have arrested two men in the deadly Monday night shooting of a man at a pawn shop in Richfield.

A tip led to the arrests, according to the Star Tribune. Here's what happened, according to the Strib:

Malcolm Cowens, 33, was the only customer at at Avi's Pawn and Jewelry shop around 6:15 p.m. Monday when two men -- one dressed as a security guard -- entered and demanded money as they held guns on Cowens and the clerk behind the counter. Security cameras captured the movements of all four.

Suddenly, one of the robbers fired a single shot. Where he was aiming is unknown, but the bullet grazed the clerk and struck Cowens in the back. The robbers fled the bloody scene with a small amount of money.

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Another man died in North Minneapolis today of a gunshot wound. That's two days in a row that men have been murdered in the middle of the day.

Police are still looking for information about the incident. About all they had to say was that around 4 p.m., they found the man lying outside the L & M car wash in the 2500 block of Marshall Street Northeast.

The Star Tribune did report that Monday's shooting did not appear to be related to the one on Sunday. The man was taken to Hennepin County Medial Center, where he later died. His name had not yet been released.

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The homicides continue. An 18-year-old lost his life when he was shot this weekend in North Minneapolis.

The young man was killed Sunday afternoon. According to the Star Tribune, hundreds gathered at a vigil to mourn the slain teen.

Friends and relatives identified the dead man as Haywood Eaton of Minneapolis, who witnesses said was involved in a fight between two groups at the parking lot of a Burger King when he was shot.

​ A young man was shot last night near the University of Minnesota, and died from his injuries shortly after.

At around 10:30 p.m. last night, Minneapolis Police responded to a report of shots being fired near the intersection of 27th Avenue SE and Delaware Avenue SE. They found the victim, whose name has not been released, lying a nearby parking lot. The victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died not long after.

Police found out that two separate groups had had some sort of fight before police were called. Police are asking anyone with tips to call 612-692-8477.

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Christopher Dangelo Dozier, 23, is the man who was shot dead late Monday. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released his name today.

Dozier was once charged with murder himself, though he was never convicted of the crime, according to the Star Tribune. Here's what the Strib said:

Dozier was charged with second-degree murder in January 2005 in the shooting death of a St. Paul man as he sat on a bus bench in July 2004, according to state records. The records do not show that Dozier was ever convicted.

In that case, eyewitnesses told police Dozier walked up behind the victim and shot him several times. Dozier turned himself in to police five months later.

On August 31, police found Dozier dead inside a car in an alley in the 1400 block of Plymouth Avenue North. Police are still looking for tips in the kiling. Anyone with information should call 612-692-8477.

​ Police are looking for suspects in a shooting in North Minneapolis last night that damaged two cars and left one man dead.

Minneapolis police got a call last night at about 10:30 p.m. about shots fired in the 1400 block of Plymouth Avenue North. They found two vacant cars that looked like they'd been shot at. Another call came in about an accident in an alley nearby. Police found a vehicle that had struck a telephone pole. Inside, they found a man who had been shot. He was dead.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the name of the victim.

Anyone with tips should call police at 612-692-8477.

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The man charged with killing his infant son over the weekend had harmed another of his children before.

Jesse D. Hummel, 29, was charged in Hennepin County Tuesday with the first-degree murder of his son,8-month-old Jaden Zander Hummel-Smith according to the Star Tribune. Here are the tragic details from the Strib:

Hummel was left alone with Jaden when his fiancee, Mary Smith, went shopping with another of their young children and Hummel's mother. Smith left at 10 a.m., called to check on the baby at 1:15 p.m. and returned home at 3:15 p.m., according to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court.

When she entered their apartment at 800 W. 106th St. in Bloomington, Hummel was gone, the criminal complaint said. Smith went to the bedroom and found Jaden in his crib, lying on his stomach. She picked him up and found that he was blue and cold to the touch.

"He killed my baby! He killed my baby!" she screamed as she ran to the patio.

In 2003, Hummel was convicted of harming his three-month old son. That baby suffered such severe injuries that he needed surgery to drain his skull of blood that had pooled there, according to the Strib.

​ The 39-year-old victim of a tragic, fatal accident in St. Paul late Sunday night had plans for a better life.

Those plans ended when the car Moussa Ould Maayif was driving was struck by 20-year-old Jacqueline Marie Wagner, of New Brighton. Ramsey County has charged Wagner with criminal vehicular homicide.

Today, the Star Tribune describes the man who lost his life early Sunday morning:

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Criminal charges were filed today in the June 11 shooting death of Vincent Glover.

Clarence Cortez Johnson -- also known as Damares Johnson or "Choo" -- has been charged with second-degree murder.

The criminal complaint says that Glover was hanging out around 52nd Avenue North and 6th Street North when Johnson pulled up in a black conversion van. Johnson and a group of friends approached Glover, and Johnson and Glover began to argue. Johnson pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired several shots at Glover, who died there.

Johnson was arrested in Michigan on August 3rd, and booked into Hennepin County Jail last night.

​ Police have yet to solve the July 25 murder of a man gunned down in the stairwell of his apartment and are looking to the public for help.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to arrests and convictions in the case.

Around 2 a.m. July 25, police responded to a call about a shooting on the 5300 block of Chicago Avenue South. They found a man with a gunshot wound dead in an apartment building stairwell.

If you have any information on the case, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Callers can remain anonymous if they choose.

​ Criminal charges have been filed against the father of Alexander Brennan Heikes Jr., the infant who died July 4.

The father, 19-year-old Alexander Brennan Heikes, was charged today with second-degree murder.

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Alexander Brennan Heikes, MPD booking photo

The criminal complaint says that on the evening of July 3rd, Heikes became very upset at the way his life had been going -- work, school and his relationship with his girlfriend. The baby fussed in his crib, and Heikes picked him up -- the father's thumbs on the baby's chest, his fingers on the infant's back -- and squeezed him aggressively. The baby had trouble breathing, so the father tried to soothe him by lying on the bed with the infant on his chest.

Hours later, Heikes awoke and found the baby still on his chest, but dead.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner found that the baby's liver and spleen had been lacerated, and that he bled out into his abdominal cavity. In addition, his abdomen was bruised and he had ten to twelve healing rib fractures.

Heikes confessed to the crime, according to Minneapolis Police.

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Remember the sad story of the 7-week-old baby who died on the 4th of July? Minneapolis police arrested the young father over the weekend.

On Saturday morning, Alexander Brennan Heikes, 19, was arrested for the death of his son. He was booked in Hennepin County Jail, and Minneapolis police expect that he'll be charged with murder in the next few days.

The baby, who was also named Alexander Heikes, was killed on July 4th in the 2500 block of Golden Valley Road. Police came to the home just after 4 a.m. on a call of a baby not breathing. The baby was taken to North Memorial Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a homicide, caused by blunt force trauma.

​ Last week we told you that two men had been arrested in the July 25 Cedar Avenue killing. Now they've been charged.

Cousins Franklin Anthony Chosa, 25, and Jeffrey Robert Chosa, 20, were charged today in Hennepin County Court.

They are accused of beating two men at around 4:30 a.m. on July 25 in the 2600 block of Cedar Ave. One of the men later died.

​Top: Franklin Anthony Chosa, MPD Booking Photo ​

Below: Jeffrey Robert Chosa, MPD Booking Photo

​A well-liked and personable taxi driver in Apple Valley was found stabbed to death inside his cab Saturday afternoon. Michael Palm, 41, had been employed at Suburban Taxi for more than a year and "was one of the most gentle guys you could ever meet," said the company's general manager in the Pioneer Press.

Palm would swing by the Apple Valley American Legion almost every night for potential customers, the legion's manager said.

Palm may have been homeless since May and had been living in his car.

More from the Pioneer Press:

Officers found Palm dead about 2:40 p.m. after responding to a report of a nonresponsive male in a taxi at an office building at 15020 Glazier Ave. in Apple Valley.

Police did not release information about a possible motive or suspects. No one has been arrested, they said.

If you have any information about this crime, contact the Apple Valley police at 952-953-2700 or the Dakota Communication Center at 651-322-2323.

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Police have arrested two men in the Cedar Avenue murder that took place early Saturday morning, July 25.

At around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, police found two men in the 2600 block of Cedar Avenue badly beaten. One of the men later died.

Minneapolis police arrested Jeffrey Robert Chosa on Wednesday. On Thursday, Chosa's cousin, Franklin Anthony Chosa, turned himself in.

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Franklin Anthony Chosa, MPD booking photo

Police say both suspects are expected to be charged.
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Jeffrey Robert Chosa, MPD booking photo

​ Another shooting in St. Paul Sunday leaves one man dead and two seriously wounded.

Police were still sorting out the details of the shooting Sunday night. They know that around 9:04 p.m., there was some sort of dispute. They found two men shot in the 500 block of East Case Street. Both were taken to Regions Hospital and listed in serious and critical condition.

Witnesses said they saw a Dodge Neon pulling away from the site of the shooting, and when St. Paul police stopped a car matching that description, the driver said his passenger had also been shot. Paramedics pronounced the man dead on the scene.

Police have not released the names of the men. The Pioneer Press is reporting more details of what happened, as told by a witness:

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Paul Fisher, 27, died of gunshot wounds early Saturday morning outside his apartment at 5301 Chicago Avenue S. Stunned family members and friends gathered last night for an impromptu vigil.

Minneapolis police found Fischer dead in his apartment building at 2 a.m. on Saturday. Here's more from the Star Tribune:

Neighbors said Fisher, who lived with his girlfriend in an apartment on the building's top floor, had arrived home shortly after 2 a.m. when the gunshots were fired, striking him as he climbed the stairs. Fisher struggled up another short flight of stairs between the second and third floors, where he died.

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An assault in the 2600 block of Cedar Avenue early Saturday morning has left one man dead.

After Minneapolis police responded to the area at about 4:30 a.m., two men were transported to County Medial Center for treatment. One man, whose name has not yet been released, died early Saturday afternoon.

The Minneapolis Police would like anyone with information about the incident to call the Minneapolis Police Department tip line at 612-692-tips (8477).

St. Anthony Police are looking for information to help them solve a fatal beating that occurred June 11. There is $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

The victim, Todd Bernard, 46, of Lauderdale, was hospitalized from the beating until he died on July 4. Police have tracked suspects and evidence since the beating, but have not turned up someone to charge with the crime.

Two men broke into Bernard's apartment in the 1800 block of Walnut Street in St. Anthony, and attacked him. "We know that it wasn't random," said St. Anthony Police Chief John Ohl, who said he could not provide further details about the beating. He did say a weapon was involved.

"The evidence and witnesses we had to work with just aren't coming up with the best results. We're encouraging people if they know anything about this offense to contact Crimestoppers," Ohl said.

Crimestoppers is 1.800.222.TIPS or www.crimestoppersmn.org.

The mother of the 10-year-old boy murdered Monday admits that she and her children planned to commit suicide together. All three took overdoses of an antipsychotic medication, killing Michael Becht.

Patricia Becht was charged today in Dakota County with first-degree murder of her son and attempted murder of her 11-year-old daughter, Erica.

The charges say that Patricia Becht gave her children the antipsychotic Seroquel. She told police during a hospital interview that she gave each of her children 10 of the pills and took 25 herself, according to the criminal complaint.

Judge Robert Carolan ordered tests to determine whether the woman is mentally fit to stand trial, according to the Star Tribune. A teenage daughter was left out of the murder-suicide plot, and Becht had left a note for her explaining the crime.

According to the complaint, Becht had talked to her children about going to heaven, which, she told them, was like Michael Jackson's home, Neverland.

The 11-year-old, Erica Becht, is expected to survive.

The South St. Paul Police say the mother of a 10-year-old South St. Paul boy killed Monday is a suspect.The coroner has not revealed how the boy died.

Neighbors say Michael Vonheath Becht Jr. was autistic, the Star Tribune is reporting.

When Dakota County Sheriff's officers and South St. Paul Police officers searched the home at 716 1st Ave. South, they found evidence that led them to focus their investigation on Patricia Ann Becht.

A 10-year-old boy was found dead in his South Saint Paul home Monday night. His mother and 12-year-old sister were also injured.

No arrests have been made, but police believe the death was a homicide. The mother, 42-year-old Patricia Becht, is in stable condition at United Hospital in St. Paul, according to the Star Tribune The sister was in intensive care at Children's Hospital in St. Paul as of late Monday night.

Officers were called to a home in the 700 block of First Avenue South in South St. Paul around 5:30 p.m. Monday evening. They found the 10-year-old boy dead, and his sister and mother wounded.

The police chief told KARE 11 that the crime was not random and that they have identified a suspect.

Police have arrested a suspect they say may have killed 32-year-old Juan Francisco Canas Ramirez.

By the time emergency vehicles arrived on Monday, the man was already dead.

Minneapolis police arrested Arturo Andres Rocha-Campinz Tuesday at about 9 p.m. He is currently being held at Hennepin County Jail for PC Murder.

Photo courtesy of Minneapolis Police Update: Rocha-Campinz has been charged with murder by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.