Minneapolis Man Charged In Fatal Beating Of Woman
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Minneapolis man is charged with second-degree murder after he he allegedly fatally beat a woman inside his apartment.
Prosecutors say he then waited hours before calling 911 to report she was not waking up.
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Scott W Carlson, 67, is charged with second-degree murder without intent in connection with the death of woman. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police and fire crews were dispatched just after 8:00 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2025, to an apartment on the 900 block of Portland Avenue South after a man reported his girlfriend was unresponsive and covered in blood.
When medics arrived, they told officers the woman was already deceased and in full rigor mortis, indicating she had been dead for some time before the 911 call was placed. Officers found her seated upright on a couch in a rigid position with extensive blood on and around the couch, including pooled and clotted blood on cushions and a pillow near where her head would have been if she had been lying down. Blood was matted into the right side of her hair and head.
Investigators documented blood throughout the apartment, including a trail of droplets between the living room and a back bedroom and blood inside the bathroom. In the bedroom, officers found extensive blood evidence on the bedding and a large pool of blood on the floor near the foot of the bed. Clothing believed to belong to Carlson was found on the floor with apparent blood stains, along with a damp towel in the bathroom that appeared to have blood on it.
Carlson told officers he slept in the bedroom while the woman slept on the couch as a guest. He said he woke up that morning, found her unresponsive and pulled her into a seated position before calling 911. Carlson claimed no one else had been inside the apartment, said the unit had been locked overnight and told police he did not hear anything during the night. He described both himself and the woman as heavy alcohol users and said he had been passed out.
A neighbor who lived in the same hallway told police she knew both Carlson and the woman and said the woman had been living with him for about five to six months after being evicted from another unit. The neighbor reported that the woman had previously confided that Carlson had been physically abusive, including punching and strangling her. The neighbor said she had seen the woman with bruises on her face and neck and was concerned enough to post a domestic violence hotline sign on the building’s community board so the woman would see it.
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The neighbor also told investigators she was inside the apartment on the night of Nov. 30, 2025, and observed Carlson to be highly intoxicated while the pair appeared to be arguing. During that visit, the woman asked if she could stay with the neighbor, but the request was declined.
Police said the blood evidence suggested the woman suffered significant injuries in the bedroom and then moved or was moved through the apartment, leaving a trail of blood toward the living room. Carlson was detained and taken in for questioning by homicide investigators.
During follow-up interviews, Carlson reported heavy drinking that night and claimed memory loss but admitted he and the woman were the only two people inside the apartment during the relevant time period. He initially said he could not explain how she suffered the fatal injuries.
Investigators also interviewed an associate of Carlson who told police he had spent several hours drinking with Carlson at the apartment on Nov. 30. The associate said Carlson was upset with the woman and that he sensed “something was going to happen” when he left. The associate reported that later that night or early the next morning, Carlson called him crying and whispering, saying words to the effect of “I did something I shouldn’t have done” and that he thought he had killed her. The associate told police this was not the first time Carlson had contacted him after assaulting the woman and said Carlson had previously sent photos showing injuries to her face after another assault.
The medical examiner later told investigators the woman suffered two lacerations on the right side of her face consistent with blunt force trauma that likely led to fatal blood loss. She also had a freshly fractured rib.
In a follow-up interview on Dec. 23, 2025, Carlson admitted he had slapped and punched the woman in the past. He eventually told investigators that the night before her death, the woman entered his bedroom yelling about not being able to access vodka that he intentionally kept out of her reach. Carlson said she threatened to call police, causing him to “flip his switch.” He admitted jumping out of bed, punching her multiple times and grabbing her while striking her. He told investigators he smashed her head, after which she fell near the bed. Carlson said he went back to sleep and believed the woman later made her way to the couch, where he found her dead the next morning.
Court records show Carlson was already in custody at the time of the murder charge in connection with a separate third-degree assault involving the same victim from July 2025.
He remains in custody on $500,000 bail with his next court appearance scheduled for Jan. 21.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. The Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center (DASC) provides advocacy, legal assistance, and safety planning for victims. Visit their office at the Hennepin County Government Center or call 612-348-5073 for support. For 24/7 assistance, contact Day One at 1-866-223-1111 (call) or 612-399-9995 (text). Additional support is available through Violence Free Minnesota (vfmn.org) and the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (mncasa.org). If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
