| 1. Kim Bryant, 29 | Minneapolis | January 24, 1994 |
| Police found Kim stabbed to death on the floor of her apartment. Kim's
husband, Mark Phillip Bryant, 28, was arrested at the scene. Neighbors said
they heard shouting and stomping from the Bryant's home so often that they
started tuning it out. Kim is survived by two children, who lived with
Mark's brother and sister-in-law. |
| 2. Renee Brown, 37 | Winona | January 31, 1994 |
| Renee's frozen body was found outside the home of her boyfriend, William
Braatz, 35. He had ignored Renee's pleas to be let inside his home on a
night when the temperature dropped to 23 degrees below zero. Renee was
wearing only a flannel night-gown and no shoes. She died of hypothermia and
her death was ruled "accidental." Braatz was charged with second-degree
manslaughter. In July, Braatz was sentenced to six months in jail and 10
years' probation. The prosecuting attorney argued at trial that Braatz chose
not to open his door when Renee arrived because he didn't want to deal with
her. Renee is survived by a two children, ages 9 and 5. |
| 3. Chala Davis, 18 | Minneapolis | February 23, 1994 |
| Chala was shot to death with a small-caliber gun. She suffered shots to her
head. When she was found, her one-year-old baby was beside her, but the baby
was not physically harmed. Chala's 19 year-old boyfriend was arrested and
charged with her death. |
| 4. Sheila Landt, 37 | Shorewood | February 28, 1994 |
| Police were called to Sheila's home by a neighbor who reported hearing
gunfire. The neighbor had called the home and spoken with a young boy who
said his mother had been shot. Officers found Sheila's body inside the home
beside a garage entrance. She died of gunshot wounds to the head. A young
boy told officers that a white minivan was missing and that his 14-year-old
brother, Jered, "needed to be talked to." Minutes later, a motorist reported
finding the minivan on an embankment beside a nearby highway. Jered was
apparently driving the minivan when he shot himself with a .22-caliber
revolver. Jered had recently been suspended from school and friends reported
he had fought constantly with his mother. Notes found at the scene, which
authorities believe were written by Jered, indicate he was dissatisfied with
his home life and had planned the crime in advance. The deaths were ruled as
homicide and suicide. |
| 5. Ann Weiland, 47 | La Crescent | March 4, 1994 |
| Ann was shot and killed by her ex-husband, Robert Weiland, 52, who later
committed suicide. Friends and family reported that for 27 years Ann had
endured an abusive marriage. But in January, 1993, she fled to her sisters
and never went back. She stayed in a battered women's shelter, obtained
restraining orders in Minnesota and Wisconsin to prevent her husband from
contacting her, and initiated divorce proceedings. But Robert Weiland
repeatedly stalked Ann. So she began making plans with her fiance, Dr.
Burton Simon, to begin a new life out-of-state where, hopefully,
her ex-husband couldn't find her. On the evening of March 4th, as Ann and
Burton pulled into their driveway, Ann was shot six times by Robert Weiland.
One shot passed through Ann and into Burton's side. As Robert Weiland
reloaded, Burton floored the accelerator, struck Weiland with the car and
was able to flee. Nine hours later, a sheriff's deputy stopped Weiland on a
road 15 miles from the shooting and watched him commit suicide. In 1993,
after Ann left Robert, he broke into her home, stashed a loaded shotgun
under the bed and waited for her return, not realizing she was on vacation.
An officer found Weiland with a rope, flashlight and an assortment of tools,
but he denied any intention of killing his estranged wife. Ann was buried the
day before her planned wedding to Dr. Simon. |
| 6. Sandra Lodermeier, 41 | Woodbury | March 26, 1994 |
| Sheila was found shot to death in her home. Her husband, Kevin Lodermeier,
was charged with second-degree murder. Authorities were seeking a
first-degree murder charge believing there was evidence that the murder was
premeditated. Police said Lodermeier, 42, turned himself in and confessed to
the killing. He also claimed he intended to kill himself, but changed his
mind after a child in the home happened on the scene. Two of Sandra's
daughters, two of their friends and a son of Lodermeier were in the home at
the time of her murder but did not witness the shooting. Lodermeier's boss
said, "Around the office he was known as Mr. Cordial." |
| 7. Rebecca Lynn Ruppert, 19 | St. Paul | April 24, 1994 |
| Rebecca's partly clothed body was discovered on the floor of her apartment
bedroom by her parents after they were unable to contact her. She had stab
and slash wounds on her neck and writing on her legs. Evidence indicated she
had been gagged, raped and possibly beaten. A casual acquaintance who lived
in the same apartment building, Olivier Grayson, 38, was arrested and
charged with second-degree murder. Authorities were also seeking a
first-degree murder indictment. A bloody palm print was found on Rebecca's
bedroom wall which matched Grayson's prints. Rebecca is survived by a
three-year-old son who was not in the apartment at the time of the murder. |
| 8. Bonnie Willberg, 36 | Hibbing | April 27, 1994 |
| Bonnie and her 16-year-old son, Jeffery Brandenburger, were found shot to
death in their rural home. Bonnie's 14-year-old daughter, Nicole, witnessed
the murder of her mother and suicide of her brother and alerted authorities. |
| 9. Kimberly White, 25 | Ponemah | May 30, 1994 |
| Kimberly died from numerous ax blows to her head and body. Her mother
witnessed the first blow to the head by Kimberly's boyfriend, Robert Parker,
23. She then attempted to stop him from further blows before escaping the
home to summon police. Parker has been charged with premeditated murder.
Kimberly is survived by three children, who were home at the time of the
initial attack. |
| 10. Sheila Burns, 31 | Minneapolis | June 11, 1994 |
| Sheila's body was found in her apartment after a friend called police to ask
them to check on her. Authorities reported she had died of injuries from "a
sharp type of instrument". Sheila's boyfriend was charged with first-degree
murder. Police reported there was a history of domestic assault calls to
this home. |
| 11. Theresa Lynn Robinson, 24 | St. Paul | June 22, 1994 |
| Theresa's body was found lying face-down in a fenced-off area under a
bridge. She appeared to have suffered a massive injury to her head. Police
suspect she may have been beaten to death with one of the bricks or rocks
scattered under the bridge. Theresa's former boyfriend, Girardo Cardona, was
charged with second-degree murder in her death. |
| 12. Kathy Newbloom, 39 | Rural Duluth | July 30, 1994 |
| Kathy was found dead in her home. She died from a single gunshot wound to
her head. Authorities arrested her 16-year-old son, Elijah Newbloom. He
admitted killing Kathy, saying he searched his home for a hidden rifle,
waited for his mother to fall asleep and then shot her to death. He pleaded
guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 37 1/2 years in prison.
Kathy worked in the St. Louis County Attorney's office. |
| 13. Lana Lee Martin, 30 | Maplewood | September 10, 1994 |
| Lana was found dead in a van in Minneapolis after she was reported missing
by co-workers who found her purse and car abandoned at their workplace. Lana
had been stabbed multiple times. A former boyfriend, John Ellis, 53, who had
lived with Lana in the past, was arrested and charged with second-degree
murder. He is alleged to have cut Lana's throat and repeatedly stabbed her
in the chest. Lana was in the process of obtaining a court restraining order
against Ellis, who had beaten her in the past. |
| 14. Dianne Emmerson, 44 | St. Paul | September 10, 1994 |
| Dianne and her fiance, Michael Kemski, 54, were found shot to death in their
home from an apparent murder/suicide. Friends of Dianne reported she had
called them the previous evening saying she had split-up with Kemski and had
told him she was moving out. |
| 15. Lois Cooke, 48 | Racine | September 25, 1994 |
| Lois and her daughters, Nicole, 14, and Holly, 15, were shot to death by
their father, James Cooke, 63. He then wrote a suicide note and shot himself
four times. He died on the way to the hospital. Cooke had apparently learned
that his daughters had recently told their mother that he sexually abused
them. Lois had contacted a sheriff's investigator about the abuse and the
investigator urged Lois to take her daughters to a shelter or safe home.
Lois and her daughters decided to stay in the family home for the weekend,
believing they would be safe. Apparently Cooke discovered that a sexual
abuse report had been made. Investigators are unclear whether Lois
confronted him or whether he learned by tape-recording her conversations.
Investigators found wires in the house suggesting the latter theory. Cooke
denied the abuse allegations in his suicide note. Cooke shot the two girls
as they slept--each with one shot to the forehead with a .22-caliber gun. He
then cleaned the blood from his daughters' bodies and laid out clothes for
their funerals at the foot of their beds. Lois was shot with a .380-caliber
handgun and was then carried back to the couple's bed. Cooke then called his
son, Alan, out-of-state and reported the homicides. He told his son to call
a neighbor, then hung up. Cooke shot himself twice in the chest and twice
under the chin. Nicole and Holly had been adopted from Korea by Lois and a
previous husband. When she remarried Cooke, he had adopted the girls.
Schoolmates reported that Nicole and Holly were cheerful and happy. Both
were honor roll students. |
| 16. Sandra Jackson, 41 | Minneapolis | November 21, 1994 |
| Sandra was found dead in her apartment. She had been strangled to death by
her former boyfriend, Curtis Osborne, 37, with whom she had previously
lived. Osborne reported the murder at a medical center nearby. Osborne pled
guilty to second-degree murder charges in November and was expected to be
sentenced to 13 to 16 years and eight months in prison. This sentence would
be 35 months longer than sentencing guidelines call for. It was sought
because Sandra was killed in her own apartment, she was vulnerable because
she was intoxicated and Osborne had stolen a ring from her after her death. |
| 17. Tulin Schreiber, 39 | Coon Rapids | November 23, 1994 |
| Tulin's estranged husband, Steven Schreiber, 39, confessed to police that he
shot and killed Tulin and her daughter, Shyla, in their home. Tulin was shot
in the abdomen and Shyla was shot in the head and thigh. Schreiber also shot
their 5-year-old son, Matthew Schreiber, in the back of the knee and hip,
but police believe he was struck by stray gunfire. Schreiber was found
holding Matthew when police arrived. Matthew was hospitalized but was in
good condition and expected to be released. Schreiber told police he planned
to kill himself, but ran out of bullets. Family friends reported that
Schreiber had a history of depression and that Tulin had been worried
because he had run out of medication. The couple had separated last winter.
On January 31st, police had responded to a "domestic disturbance" at the
home by Tulin, who had asked for police assistance in getting her husband to
leave the house. The police report noted that Schreiber did leave, but his
wife told officers she feared he would return, so she packed bags and went
to a friend's house. Since that time, Tulin moved into a townhouse not far from the home, and Schreiber was
seen there by neighbors during visitation exchanges. He also reportedly
stayed at the townhouse occasionally. Shyla, Tulin's daughter from a
previous marriage, had a friend, 18, sleeping over when the shootings
occurred. She reported that she and Shyla were asleep at 6 a.m. when they
heard Schreiber enter the house. They then heard a loud boom and Matthew
crying. Schreiber then opened their bedroom door and was holding a rifle and
talking about suicide. When he left the room, Shyla followed him and
shouted, "Steve, don't do it." The friend then heard two loud bangs, then
heard Schreiber go upstairs. She found Shyla in the family room with a shot
in the head. The friend then hid in the garage, until police found her.
Shyla was a senior in high school and played soccer, tennis and softball.
School officials described her as an outstanding student. Neighbors and
co-workers described Schreiber as "a nice, quiet neighbor" and "a super
guy...really good with kids." Schreiber was charged with first-degree murder. |
| 18. Raquel Renee Ripka, 25 | Plymouth | December 30, 1994 |
| Raquel's body and the body of her estranged husband, Brian Ripka, 30, were
found in Ripka's apartment. Autopsies found the two died from cuts to their
throats. Evidence indicated Ripka cut his wife's throat with a kitchen knife
and then did the same to himself. The Ripkas were divorcing and Raquel had
moved out of their home. The day before she was found dead, Raquel had
borrowed a friend's car to visit her husband so he could sign divorce
papers. When she didn't return, the friend contacted police. Police believe
troubles with the divorce led to the killings. No note was found at the scene. |
