At least 18 women were murdered in cases where the suspected,
alleged, or convicted perpetrator was a current or former
husband, boyfriend, intimate partner or household/family member
of the woman.
| 1. Marna Christenson, 44 | Lakefield | January 19, 1989 |
| Marna's husband, Arthur Christenson, 59, was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, and criminal negligence in connection with the fire that killed Marna. Marna died of smoke inhalation and was found near the rear entrance of their home. | ||
| 2. Patricia Snelson, 43 | Hastings | February 7, 1989 |
| Patricia was shot five times in the chest and head by her husband, Dwayne Snelson, 40, a known batterer who then committed suicide. | ||
| 3. Francine Hill, 39 | Minneapolis | February 14, 1989 |
| Francine was found strangled to death in a Minneapolis motel room. Her 48-year-old boyfriend, Dennis Wade, was charged with her murder. He pleaded guilty in September to first-degree manslaughter and was likely to be sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. There as a complaint from a motel guest about shouts coming from the motel room. Francine was the mother of 8 children. | ||
| 4. Irene Bauder | Cedar Mills | March 4, 1989 |
| Irene was shot to death by her husband who then committed suicide. | ||
| 5. Margaret Cole, 75 | Blooming Prairie | May, 1989 |
| Margaret was found shot to death on a bed in her upstairs bedroom. Her Husband, Harvey Cole, 72, pled guilty to second-degree murder charges in early August. | ||
| 6. Anita Ross, 24 | Minneapolis | June 7, 1989 |
| Anita died of strangulation and was left in a burning apartment which was set on fire. Her boyfriend, Ernest Hardimon, was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree arson. Anita was planning to end her relationship with Ernest. | ||
| 7. Shanna Pesheck, 15 | Brainerd | July 27, 1989 |
| Shanna was stabbed repeatedly in her home as her parents slept. She suffered from numerous stab wounds to her neck and upper body and had been stabbed at least 10 times. Her former boyfriend, Jimmy Hummel, 16, has been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder. Shanna had been dating Jimmy but the two broke up two weeks prior to her death. Police had checked on Shanna the previous evening, responding to a call from the suspect's brother who was concerned that Jimmy was on his way to Shanna's home. She told police everything was fine. She and her parents then retired for the evening. | ||
| 8. Cindy Sue Gonzales, 25 | Columbia Heights | July 6, 1989 |
| Cindy was shot to death. Her boyfriend, Glenn Clark, was charged with second-degree murder. Police had been called to the home previously. In October Clark was found guilty of second-degree murder. | ||
| 9. Elaina Meachum, 40 | Moran Lake | August 10, 1989 |
| Elaina died of asphyxiation. She was found with bruise marks on her body, lying face down in a lake behind her home. Officers found blood smears in the entryway of her home and around the house. Her boyfriend, Richard Deming, 41, was charged with second-degree murder. The two had been living together for some time prior to her death. Acquaintances said they frequently saw bruises on Elaina's arms. Richard Deming was described by acquaintances as "mellow, mild-mannered, polite" and "real quiet". A co-worker said, "He's always been very rational, well-educated and intelligent." Deming had worked at a Park Rapids hospital as a home health aide and as a nurse technician. In November, Deming pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the asphyxiation of Elaina, and in December he was sentenced to 25 1/2 years in prison. He will serve 17 1/2 years before he is eligible for parole. | ||
| 10. Viola Mae Beeks, 39 | Minneapolis | August 31, 1989 |
| Viola was shot in the face in the bedroom of her home. The man with who she had been living, Bernard Wilson, 34, has been accused of killing her and was charged with second-degree murder. Her teenage daughter said she saw her mother struggling with Bernard and tried to seek help. When she returned she saw her mother lying on the bed with blood coming from her face. The daughter saw Wilson come out of the bedroom with a gun. He then fired a shot to scare her. Viola was a Minneapolis Housing Patrol officer. | ||
| 11. Priscilla Adams, 32 | St. Paul | October 5, 1989 |
| Priscilla was found stabbed to death in her apartment. She was stabbed five or six times. Carl Cage, 34, Priscilla's live-in boyfriend, was charged with second-degree murder. Neighbors said they frequently heard arguments from the apartment. One neighbor said that Priscilla had talked about leaving her boyfriend because of abuse. Another neighbor said the boyfriend had pushed Priscilla down the staircase two months previously. On August 28th, police were called to the apartment. Priscilla told officers that her boyfriend had pushed her, causing her to fall and cut her mouth on the bathtub. He was arrested and booked on suspicion of domestic assault. He was released when the prosecution dismissed charges. Priscilla is survived by a nine-month old child. | ||
| 12. Tracy Carlson, 19 | Minneapolis | October 17, 1989 |
| Tracy was abducted at gunpoint and held hostage for 19 hours before she was shot to death by her former boyfriend, Michael Rehfeld, 22. He then killed himself. It was the second time that week that he had kidnapped Tracy and the third time in the last year. He was under a court order to stay away from Tracy. Friends said Rehfeld was upset that Tracy wanted to date another man. "He said, 'If I can't have you, no one will.'" | ||
| 13. Daisy Hammer, 61 | Minneapolis | November 2, 1989 |
| Daisy was beaten to death with a baseball bat in her apartment. She was found on the floor of her apartment with severe head injuries. Her boyfriend, James Phillips, 29, has been charged with her murder. Neighbors told police they had heard other domestic disputes in the past. | ||
| 14. Lori Ann Behr, 30 | Minneapolis | November 21, 1989 |
| Lori was strangled to death. Her boyfriend, Jonathan James Mudge, 31, has been charged with first-degree murder in her death. Lori was found dead at the couple's house after police responded to a call from Mudge's brother-in-law who told authorities that Mudge made hysterical statements on the telephone about killing his girlfriend. Mudge was arrested at the scene. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Lori was 8 months pregnant at the time of her death. | ||
| 15. Roselyn May Boswell, 30 | Lonsdale | November 25, 1989 |
| Roselyn was shot once in the back with a shotgun. Her partly clothed body was found in the trunk of her boyfriend's car after he drove to the New Prague police station to report her death. The boyfriend, Ronald Johnson, told authorities the shooting was accidental. Johnson was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree manslaughter. Roselyn is survived by four daughters from a previous relationship. | ||
| 16. Bonnie Haugen, 53 | Albert Lea | December 2, 1989 |
| 62-year old Vernon Bentson was charged with four counts of second-degree murder in the death of Bonnie at the Albert Lea home they shared. Police had received a call from a man at around 1 p.m. on December 3rd, saying that he and his woman friend had a fight Saturday night and that he thought she was dead. | ||
| 17. Barbara Provost, 22 | Forest Lake | December 29, 1989 |
| Barbara's sadly burned body was found in a wildlife area. She had been drenched with a gasoline-type substance and set afire. She died at the scene. An autopsy indicated she died of smoke inhalation, but that medical complications from severe burns, a blow to the chest, and injuries to internal organs may have contributed to her death. Law enforcement reported that her body had a hole in the left side of the chest, but she had not been shot. Her husband, Robert Provost, 23, was charged with second-degree murder for burning Barbara to death. Barbara had been granted a court order for protection in the past and had called the police for help in the past. | ||
| 18. Catherine Jones, 27 | Minneapolis | December 31, 1989 |
| Catherine was stabbed to death in her apartment. Her boyfriend, Lloyd Thunberg, 36, was charged with second-degree murder in her death. He allegedly stabbed her because she wanted to end a 7-year relationship. | ||
Rights Reserved. We ask that any use of this information be identified as collected by the battered women's movement in Minnesota through the: