Life Without Parole for Man Convicted in 2023 Stearns County Murder

May 14

A Stearns County judge has sentenced a man to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the premeditated killing of a woman in Waite Park last year.

Jarquez Javon Bedford, 30, was convicted in January of first-degree murder for the February 5, 2023 death of Andrea Rae Cottew.

Previously: Waite Park Man Convicted in 2023 Killing

Bedford waived a jury trial and was found guilty by a judge on all three counts filed against him: first-degree murder with premeditation, first-degree murder while committing a felony, and second-degree murder with intent. He was formally sentenced on May 9.

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Cottew was found dead inside her apartment on Park Meadows Drive the morning after the killing. According to the criminal complaint, she had lacerations to her neck and was discovered in a pool of blood in the living room. A knife stained with blood was found near her bed, and investigators noted significant blood evidence throughout the apartment.

Surveillance video showed Cottew letting Bedford into the building the day prior. Investigators said Bedford was seen leaving alone less than an hour later, wearing a sweatshirt turned inside out. He returned to the building multiple times using her stolen key fob. Inside a third-floor apartment where Bedford had been staying, one of the tenants told police he asked for a brush to clean off blood. Later, DNA testing confirmed Bedford’s profile on the knife handle, Cottew’s purse, and other items inside the unit.

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At trial, Bedford testified in his own defense, though prosecutors also introduced surveillance footage, forensic analysis, and testimony from over a dozen witnesses, including law enforcement and forensic experts. The court rejected Bedford’s motion for lesser included offenses and found that the evidence supported all three charges.

According to investigators, Bedford fled the area and was arrested nine days later in connection with a felony probation violation for a 2018 Kansas robbery conviction. At the time, he was also facing unrelated firearm possession charges in Ramsey County. He has remained in custody since his February 2023 arrest.

Along with his life sentence, Bedford was ordered to submit a DNA sample and pay $139 in court fees.

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