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Minnesota Woman Accused of Shooting Elderly Man in Head; Father Made Gruesome Discovery after Vacation

Minnesota Woman Accused of Shooting Elderly Man in Head; Father Made Gruesome Discovery after Vacation

Shortly after returning from a two-week vacation, a father was surprised to discover what he believed to be “brown paint throughout” his home. During his lunch break at work, he witnessed a man in a “hazmat” suit removing carpet in the basement, according to Minnesota authorities.

His daughter faces accusations of shooting a 70-year-old man in the head. According to her suspected accomplice in the disposal of the body, the victim had been causing trouble for her and she reached her breaking point.

The provided information barely begins to reveal the horrifying allegations against Josephine Ann Powers, a 25-year-old resident of Burnsville. Powers reportedly contacted the authorities on July 18 to report a shooting incident involving Michael Robert Riccio that had occurred over a week prior.

Based on information from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office and a statement of probable cause, it appears that there was an altercation between Powers and Riccio that took a tragic turn. Witnesses reported that Powers grabbed a gun during the argument and unfortunately, the trigger was pulled, resulting in a fatal outcome. Afterward, Powers panicked and ran around the house before attempting to clean up the blood.

According to a report, Witness 1, who is Powers’ father, reportedly informed the Burnsville Police Department about an incident that occurred on July 18. He claimed that two days after he spotted an unidentified individual in his house wearing a hazmat suit and cleaning up a suspicious brown substance, he woke up to a strong smell of bleach and ammonia in the house.

Despite the circumstances, he proceeded with his work, as per this account. Upon arriving home, Witness 2, who is described as a friend of the man’s daughter, informed him that Powers claimed Riccio had been fatally shot while her father was away on vacation, according to documents.

The complaint stated that while in the residence, the officers noticed a powerful scent of bleach and saw what seemed to be recently repaired bullet holes in the hallway.

According to authorities, during the police interview, the suspect claimed that an individual named “Chris,” who was later identified as Christopher Michael Hawkins, assisted in relocating the victim’s body from the residence. Allegedly, the remains were transported to a shed in Minneapolis using a sizable container with a gray color.

Upon arrival, investigators discovered the victim’s remains inside a sizable, gray container. It was evident that he had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head.

Following the reading of Hawkins’ Miranda rights, law enforcement officials stated that he informed authorities about Powers’ request for assistance in “moving a package” in exchange for a truck. Hawkins further revealed that upon arriving at the suspect’s residence, Riccio was discovered “wrapped up in garbage bags and rugs.” Hawkins reportedly admitted to assisting Powers in cleaning up blood and shared details about the suspected shooter’s account of the incident.

Court documents stated that Powers informed him about a troubling situation where someone was bothering her, leading her to take drastic action and shoot the individual. According to reports, Powers claimed to have used a firearm provided by an acquaintance who was also present during the incident.

According to a witness, Hawkins’ friend, Witness 4, informed the police that they overheard Powers and Riccio engaged in an argument prior to the shooting.

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Witness 4 was present in the hallway near Powers’ bedroom and had a clear view and auditory access to the argument between Victim and Powers. Powers started hurling objects towards the victim. Authorities alleged that Powers grabbed a black handgun and shot Victim. The victim fell onto a couch and lost consciousness. Powers became extremely agitated and dashed around the house.

In a recent KSTP interview, Patti, the mother of Powers, shared her thoughts on the murder case. She revealed that her daughter has struggled with drug use and also disclosed that Powers had experienced sexual abuse as a child by a family friend.

According to reports, she expressed skepticism about Powers’ ability to fire a gun, let alone shoot six times down a hallway.

“I was thinking, Josie has never had any experience with firearms. Patti allegedly mentioned that Josie has no experience with firearms. Josie does not make threats of violence. So it was just like, how on earth?”

According to the defendant’s father, Powers and Riccio had previous experience working on cars together. However, the father expressed his desire to keep the 70-year-old away from his house due to his constant yelling at Josie.

According to records from Dakota County Jail, Powers’ bail has been set at $1,000,000 without conditions or $750,000 with certain conditions. These conditions include no contact with Riccio’s family or any witnesses (except her father), surrendering any firearms, abstaining from drug and alcohol use, and remaining in Minnesota.

A court date has been scheduled for August 1st.

Source: Law&Crime

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