Charges: Ethan Broad Killed Dystynee Avery, Dismembered Her Body In His Garage
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Authorities in northwestern Minnesota say a 27-year-old man admitted to killing a woman and dismembering her body.
Ethan Broad, of Moorhead, is charged with one count of second-degree murder, court documents filed in Clay County show. Broad made his first court appearance Monday. His bail was set at $1 million.
According to a criminal complaint, Broad was one of a number of people to report a woman, whom police identified as 19-year-old Dystynee Avery, missing during the first days of April.
Broad reported that Avery had been staying with him but left with all her belongings on April 4.
When investigators spoke with Broad, he initially told police that someone else had killed Avery in his apartment. He said that he had helped dismember her in the garage.
However, after surveillance video showed him leaving the garage alone with blue bins, he admitted that he killed Avery and dismembered her alone, the complaint states.
Broad told police he killed Avery in self defense.
Investigators found blood-stained saws and bins in Broad's garage. In his apartment, the carpet bore splotches of pink, where Broad had attempted to bleach out blood stains.
If convicted, Broad faces up to 40 years in prison. He's slated to make his next court appearance on May 14.