Charges say a southern Minnesota man last week shot and killed his older neighbor, whom he believed to be an alien.
The 38-year-old man from Windom, Minnesota, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder, according to a criminal complaint filed in Cottonwood County on Friday.
The Windom Police Department says they were called to the 1400 block of 12th Avenue at approximately 5:19 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a shooting.
Officers found the victim, a 70-year-old woman, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was able to speak to an officer, telling them she believed she was shot but did not see a firearm. She added that the suspect had called her, saying he needed help, and that she had gone to his house about 45 minutes earlier.
The woman was transported to the Windom Hospital, where she later died. An autopsy found she had been shot seven times. She died due to blood loss from the gunshot wounds, according to the provisional report.
A witness told investigators the suspect had woken him up to sit on the couch when he began talking about aliens, allegedly stating he thought his neighbor, the victim, was an alien, and that an alien ship was coming to take them, according to the complaint. The witness recalled seeing the victim, hearing gunshots and seeing flashes, then the victim leaving.
Charges say the witness was scared and ran to their neighbor’s house, where they found her on the floor. That’s when they called 911.
While police were responding to the shooting, the complaint says dispatch informed officers around 5:30 a.m. that a woman called saying a man had broken into her nearby home on the 1200 block of River Road.
Upon arriving at the residence, police reported seeing a significant amount of broken glass and blood within the entrance, and hearing the sound of moaning and running water coming from the bathroom area.
Inside the bathroom, charges say officers found the suspect in the bathtub. Police removed him and placed him in handcuffs, noting the water in the tub was blood-stained.
The suspect was transported to the hospital for treatment before going to jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 8.
