Star Tribune
Man beat woman to death outside Minneapolis church
A man who allegedly told police he had no memory of the act was charged in the beating death of a woman outside a church in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Byron Vinicio Vargas Bautista, 38, of Minneapolis, was charged with second-degree murder with intent last week in Hennepin County District Court in the death of Felisha Smith.
Members of Smith’s family spoke with Fox 9 earlier this year and identified her as the 58-year-old victim. She had been living at a skilled nursing facility at the time of her death.
According to court documents:
On July 14, Minneapolis police were called to a church near the intersection of Oak Park Avenue N. and Penn Avenue N. where they found Smith’s body. She had been beaten to death with “hemorrhaging around her brain, neck, and clavicle, and her hyoid bone was fractured.”
Witnesses said they saw Smith with a “Latino man” the night before. Police used surveillance videos to trace Smith and Bautista’s movements that night. They were together near the corner of Lake Street and Chicago Avenue and then took Metro Transit buses throughout the city before exiting near the scene of the crime. Traffic cameras appeared to show Bautista carrying Smith part of the way toward the church. Later he is seen going back-and-forth to the scene of the crime before eventually leaving.
Two months later, Minneapolis police on patrol in south Minneapolis saw Bautista and recognized him as the unknown man from the surveillance video.
Bautista was read his rights and told investigators that he did not know Smith or have any memory of what he did on the night of July 14. When he was shown photos of the suspect in the crime, he told police it was him.
Sen. JD Vance has picked another Minnesota politician to play the role of Gov. Tim Walz in practice sessions ahead of their televised vice presidential debate: U.S. Rep Tom Emmer.
The selection of Emmer was confirmed by a source familiar with the Republican candidate’s debate preparation. Emmer and his team have also spent the past month studying Walz’s past debates, his mannerisms and his policy positions, according to the source. The vice presidential debate will be at 8 p.m. Central Time in New York.
Walz, who was elected to the House before running for governor, overlapped for a period with Emmer when they were both in Congress. Emmer is the House majority whip, which is the the third highest ranking Republican in the House of Representatives.
On the Democratic side, sources have told news outlets including NBC and Politico that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be playing the role of Vance in Walz’s debate preparations.
There’s nothing like experiencing a Gophers volleyball Border Battle against Wisconsin at Maturi Pavilion. The atmosphere. The rivalry. The intensity.
This will be Gophers coach Keegan Cook’s first time in that home environment when the No. 16 Gophers (7-3) play host to the No. 7 Badgers (6-3) on Wednesday night.
“Rivalries are what makes sports special,” said Cook, who will be coaching in front of a sellout crowd.
The one thing Cook already knows about the Badgers from playing them last year is their size on the frontline. He’ll see a similar display for Big Ten opening night.
Carter Booth, an ex-Gopher who is a 6-7 middle blocker, and Anna Smrek a 6-9 right side hitter, are both All-Americas. Last year’s NCAA player of the year, Sarah Franklin, is a 6-4 outside hitter.
“It’s about as physical as you’re going to see going back and forth across the net,” Cook said. “Big athletes doing big things.”
In 2023, the Badgers swept the Gophers in three sets. Wisconsin is pretty much the same physically imposing team as last year.
Cook has seen some of his squad’s biggest strides come from sophomore Calissa Minatee and senior Phoebe Awoleye. The pair are on the small side for middle blockers but big on athleticism and versatility.
Star Tribune
Man charged with getting in a shootout with trooper on I-94 in Minneapolis after causing crash.
A man grabbed the steering wheel from his girlfriend, crashed the vehicle on a Minneapolis interstate and got in a shootout with a state trooper, according to charges filed Tuesday.
Eddie James Freeman, 23, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of first-degree assault, four counts of second-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault in connection with the confrontation Saturday on Interstate near the Dowling Avenue exit. None of the gunfire resulted in any injuries.
Freeman remains jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
Also Tuesday, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the trooper involved in the altercation as as Mark Vande Steeg. The agency said Vande Steeg has been in law enforcement slightly more than a year and is on standard critical incident leave as its investigation continues. Body camera and squad camera video captured portions of the incident, the BCA said.
The agency said said its crime scene personnel recovered a handgun from the where Freeman was arrested. The personnel also saw bullet damage to Vande Steeg’s squad, the BCA added.
According to the charges:
Troopers were sent about 10:15 p.m. Saturday to the spot where Freeman crashed his vehicle. While en route, they were alerted to shots being fired near the crash scene and were given a description of a possible suspect.
As Vande Steeg arrived, he put his squad spotlight on a man who matched the description. In response, Freeman fired several shots at the trooper.
