Man Charged With Killing Maintenance Worker, Stabbing Teen
Outside the apartment at 2812 Silver Lane NE in Saint Anthony on Jan. 10, 2026. MN CRIME PHOTO
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 31-year-old Saint Anthony man is now charged in a double-stabbing that left an apartment maintenance worker dead and his teenage son critically injured early Saturday.
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Prosecutors say Jonathon Michael Kaupa attacked people inside and outside an apartment at 2812 Silver Lane NE shortly before 5 a.m. on Jan. 10, killing a 44-year-old man who worked as the building’s maintenance employee and repeatedly stabbing the man’s 15-year-old son.
Kaupa is charged with intentionally causing the maintenance worker’s death and attempting to cause the teenager’s death. He is being held on $5 million bail under an order of detention issued Monday.
Police were called to the building on a reported stabbing and found the maintenance worker lying in a third-floor hallway between two apartments and in a large pool of blood. Officers reported severe neck wounds and multiple stab injuries to his upper body. Blood spatter covered nearby walls and apartment doors, indicating a violent struggle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Inside an apartment, officers found the man’s teenage son lying facedown with multiple stab wounds to his arms chest neck and head. His shirt was soaked in blood. He was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center and taken into surgery. A younger sibling was inside the apartment at the time and told officers her brother was still inside when police arrived.
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Investigators learned Kaupa lived across the hall. While officers were still on scene, a rideshare driver approached police and reported a disturbing encounter from earlier that morning. The driver said she picked up a passenger identified through the app as Kaupa near Silverwood Park at about 5:27 a.m. She told police the man appeared to be hiding in a snowbank, was extremely sweaty and not dressed for the cold.
During the ride toward his parents’ home in Saint Paul, she noticed he carried a bag that appeared to contain bloodstained clothing and rope. She said Kaupa made statements about fighting with someone and apologized for having what he called “fish guts” on his phone, a comment she found strange. Video from her vehicle confirmed Kaupa was the passenger. The driver said the interaction was so unsettling that she returned to the area and sought out officers.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Killed, Juvenile Hurt in Saint Anthony Stabbing
Kaupa’s father also arrived at the apartment building looking for his son and told police Kaupa had a history of mental health crises and prior hospitalizations. According to the complaint, Kaupa texted his parents “sorry” shortly before six a.m. and then arrived at their Saint Paul home. He asked to borrow his father’s Mercedes-Benz and left again. His parents told investigators they did not know him to be violent and said he carried a utility knife for work.
A search of Kaupa’s apartment and garage revealed a rope tied from a wall stud on the living room balcony, leading investigators to believe he escaped by climbing down before police established a perimeter. Officers also recovered a substance that tested positive for amphetamines from Kaupa’s vehicle.
The injured teenager later told police he awoke to a sawing sound at the apartment door and saw a man in the hallway. After alerting his father, both stepped into the hall. The teen said the man emerged from across the hall holding a sharp object and a struggle followed. He reported being stabbed repeatedly while trying to protect his face as his father fought the attacker. The teen retreated back into the apartment, locked the door to protect his sibling and called 911. He later told police doctors said he had been stabbed about 20 times.
Outside the apartment at 2812 Silver Lane NE in Saint Anthony on Jan. 10, 2026. MN CRIME PHOTO
Later that morning, deputies in northern Minnesota located the borrowed Mercedes-Benz in northeast Duluth. Kaupa fled during an attempted traffic stop, crashed and was taken into custody after a foot pursuit northeast of the city. Officers found bandages in the vehicle and said surveillance video from convenience stores along his route showed Kaupa buying bandages, mouthwash and other items, changing clothes before his arrest.
When booked into jail, Kaupa reportedly told staff he had taken prescription medication and was experiencing withdrawal. He also reported being injured but could not explain how.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner ruled the maintenance worker’s death a homicide caused by multiple sharp-force injuries.
Kaupa remains jailed as of publication. If convicted, the second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The attempted murder charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years. Authorities have not released the teenager’s condition as of publication.
