Star Tribune
Judge, citing mental illness, acquits woman of murder for stabbing father in Lowry Hill home
A woman with a history of mental health problems has been acquitted of stabbing her father at their Minneapolis home last summer.
A Hennepin County judge found that Maria A. Palen, 38, did kill 78-year-old Joseph Palen on Aug. 11 in their home in the Lowry Hill neighborhood, but said she was mentally ill at the time and therefore not guilty of second-degree murder.
The defense “has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that … she was laboring under such defect of reason as to not know the nature of the acts constituting the present charge, and laboring under such defect of reason as to not know her acts were wrong,” Judge Carolina Lamas wrote. “Therefore, the court finds the Ms. Palen is criminally not liable for her acts.”
Lamas said Palen will remain under a previously ordered civil commitment for mental health treatment at HCMC. That runs until at least Feb. 8, when there will be a progress review.
Court records show that Maria Palen has been civilly committed for treatment of bipolar disorder three times in the past nine years.
In April 2021, she punched her father in the leg as he slept and expressed fears that her parents were trying to drug and hypnotize her, one court filing read. Emergency medical providers quoted her as saying her parents “were going to die tonight.”
A petition from HCMC for an order of commitment, filed on March 15, 2023, noted that she was admitted to HCMC and was described as “acutely psychotic, paranoid and in a disorganized state. [She] poses a substantial likelihood of physical harm to self or others.”
That petition for commitment, however, was resolved nine days later by HCMC and Palen with conditions that she take her medications as prescribed, follow her treatment plan, cooperate with her case manager and not engage in any violent or threatening behavior.
On the day of the stabbing, another of Joseph Palen’s daughters called 911 and said she went to the home to check on her father because she had not heard from him that day. She said she found him slumped over on the couch. She put her father on the floor “to attempt life-saving measures,” the criminal complaint read.
Police arrived to find Joseph Palen had been stabbed in the chest. Close by was a large butcher knife with blood on it and bloodied scissors on the couch.
Officers found Maria Palen on the ground in the backyard. She started running but police apprehended her. She told police that her father “has always been very controlling, and he just won’t let me go off on my own.”
Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.
“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.
School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.
It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.
“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”
He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.
“The basic rule in Minnesota is you cannot preemptively post law enforcement at a polling place,” he said. “A city can’t say, ‘Wow, Precinct Two, there’s a lot of intensity there, let’s just put a cop at the door.’”
Simon doesn’t go deep into the details on security, though. “I don’t want to give a total road map to the bad guys,” he said.
But testimony at the Capitol last year on behalf of the new law bolstering protections for election and polling place workers indicated there’s room for concern. One election worker was followed to her car by an angry voter; the head of elections in another county was called repeatedly on her home phone during off hours, and an official was lunged at by an aggrieved voter, forcing her to call the local sheriff.
Those who violate the law could now face civil damages and penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation.
The Brennan Center survey indicated more than four in 10 election leaders were concerned about recruiting enough poll workers due to threats of harassment and intimidation. This includes doxing — publishing a person’s personal information online in a threatening manner — and swatting, fake emergency calls that result in an armed response being sent to someone’s home.
“Election officials are working to prepare for everything right now,” said Liz Howard, director of partnership engagement at the Brennan Center. “More than 90% of election officials have made improvements to election security since 2020.”
Star Tribune
Daylight saving time ends next weekend. This is how to prepare for the potential health effects
The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time next Sunday, Nov. 3, which means you should set your clock back an hour before you go to bed. Standard time will last until March 9 when we will again ”spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time.
That spring time change can be tougher on your body. Darker mornings and lighter evenings can knock your internal body clock out of whack, making it harder to fall asleep on time for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.
”Fall back” should be easier. But it still may take a while to adjust your sleep habits, not to mention the downsides of leaving work in the dark or trying exercise while there’s still enough light. Some people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression usually linked to the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, may struggle, too.
Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology.
Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do — mostly in Europe and North America — the date that clocks are changed varies.
Two states — Arizona and Hawaii — don’t change and stay on standard time.
Here’s what to know about the twice yearly ritual.
