Murder Charges Filed in Deadly Minneapolis Encampment Stabbing
BY MN CRIME STAFF
Prosecutors have charged a man with murder and attempted murder after a deadly stabbing at a homeless encampment in Minneapolis earlier this month.
The attack on Dec. 2 left one person dead and another seriously injured near Sheridan Avenue South and Kenwood Parkway.
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Stevie Lopez Lindsey, 25, of Minneapolis, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder with intent not premeditated and one count of first-degree assault involving great bodily harm.
According to the criminal complaint, officers were sent to the area around 7 p.m. after a 911 caller reported finding a man lying in the snow who appeared to be deceased. Officers walked into a wooded area and found an adult male lying face down in the snow, determined he was frozen and the victim was later pronounced dead at the scene.
A short distance away, officers found a small encampment with four tents. Inside one of the tents, officers located a second adult male with a large chest wound and multiple stab wounds to his neck and arms. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.
Investigators recovered a knife that appeared to have blood on it inside a tent just south of where the surviving victim was found. A knife sheath was also located in the victim’s tent and appeared to match the recovered knife.
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People at the scene told officers they had come to the encampment looking for Lindsey. They said he knew people living there and had been visiting the encampment for several weeks. The two victims were identified as the people who lived in the tents full time.
On Dec. 8, officers spoke with the surviving victim at the hospital. He told investigators his memory was foggy but said he remembered being alone in his tent when Lindsey entered and began stabbing him. He said the attack happened quickly and he did not have time to react. The victim told officers he had known Lindsey for about five weeks and that Lindsey regularly came by with supplies. He said he did not know why the attack occurred.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined the deceased victim died from multiple sharp force injuries. The injuries included numerous stab and incised wounds to the face scalp chest back arms hands thigh and behind the knee along with two brain bleeds. Several of the wounds were described as possible defensive injuries.
At the time the complaint was filed, Lindsey was being held in the psychiatric unit at Regions Hospital on a voluntary hold. Hospital staff told investigators he was expected to be released, and prosecutors requested a warrant so he could be taken into custody upon release.
If convicted, the second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, while the attempted murder count carries a maximum of 20 years.
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