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Burnsville woman charged with murder of Minneapolis man
Prosecutors charged Josephine Ann Powers, 25, with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the death of Michael Robert Riccio.
HASTINGS, Minn. — A Burnsville woman is accused of fatally shooting a 70-year-old man in the head following an argument and then attempting to hide his body in a shed in Minneapolis.
Dakota County prosecutors charged Josephine Ann Powers, 25, with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the death of July 9 Michael Robert Riccio.
Powell reported the case, and told investigators Riccio was shot and killed by a man in her home. Powell also told police that another man helped move the body from the Burnsville home to a property in Minneapolis.
A witness told investigators that Riccio was allegedly shot by Powers following an argument at Powers’ Burnsville home.
According to the criminal complaint, Powers asked the man “to move a package from her home in exchange for a pickup truck.” He agreed to help and when he arrived at the home, he saw blood downstairs and what he believed to be a body wrapped in garbage bags and rugs. He then placed it in the back of the pickup and took it to a shed in Minneapolis where he kept his belongings.
A search warrant was executed in Minneapolis on July 19 and officers found what appeared to be human remains in a large grey container in the shed. An autopsy was conducted and the remains were identified as Riccio’s.
Officials said the cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was determined as a homicide.
Bail was set for $1 million without conditions for Powers. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
