Richfield Man Charged with Murder After Woman Found Dead In Home

Sep 10

A Richfield man has been charged with second-degree murder after police say a woman was found dead inside a home last weekend.

According to a criminal complaint, 37-year-old Shay Michael Benson called 911 just after 5 a.m. on Sept. 7 and reported that a woman was lying in the shower with
”her head cracked open.”

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Officers arrived at the home in the 6400 block of Bloomington Avenue South and found the woman deceased. She had a large laceration on her forehead exposing her skull, both eyes swollen shut and a broken nose, the court documents say.

Investigators reported blood spatter throughout the lower level of the house, including the laundry room, bathroom and bedroom where the victim’s two-year-old daughter was asleep with blood on her arm. The complaint said some areas of the home showed signs of attempted clean-up. A ripped bra, rugs, washcloths and a pair of men’s white sneakers were discovered in the washing machine, along with blood-stained clothing. Officers also noted watery blood on the washer itself.

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A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured a series of interactions between Benson and the victim before her death. Just before midnight on Sept. 6, the two were seen arguing in the driveway. The victim later went into the backyard and did not return. Around 12:02 a.m., Benson was recorded walking into the backyard wearing white sneakers, which investigators later found in the washer. He was then seen leaving in a white SUV around 3:30 a.m. before returning on foot at 4:54 a.m. Police say no one else was seen entering or leaving the home during that period. Benson called 911 at 5:01 a.m. and officers arrived minutes later.

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The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released autopsy results. Benson is currently in custody on a Department of Corrections hold. Judge Joseph Klein signed an order for his continued detention, setting bail at $1 million with conditions including no use of drugs or alcohol, random testing and no possession of weapons.

Benson is charged with second-degree murder with intent but not premeditation, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

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