Charges: St. Cloud Man Says He Strangled Woman Because God Told Him To
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 38-year-old St. Cloud man is accused of strangling a woman in his basement because he believed God told him he needed to kill someone and that he would be able to resurrect them.
Daniel Walter Kenning faces one felony count of second-degree murder in connection to the September 29 death of 45-year-old Jennifer Lee Moy of Blaine.
According to the criminal complaint, Kenning turned himself into the St. Cloud Police Department on September 29 and admitted to killing someone. When officers responded to his residence in St. Cloud, they found Moy's deceased body.
Kenning told police that he met the victim at a wedding and that they communicated over Facebook messenger. He said that he picked Moy up on September 28 and drove her back to his house. He said they went down to his basement on the early morning hours of September 29 where he tied her legs and handcuffed her arms to a table. He admitted to strangling her with one hand while she was tied up.
He told the investigator that God told him he needed to kill someone and that he would be able to resurrect them. He said he was "supposed to" kill Moy the previous weekend but was unable to do so, the complaint said.
An autopsy found Moy died of probable asphyxiation due to probable strangulation. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Neighbors of Moy were not only distraught to learn of her death, but disturbed by the details laid out in the charging documents. Talking to WCCO-TV off-camera, neighbors say they will always remember Moy as someone who was wonderful with children, especially through her daycare. They say should would shovel driveways and sidewalks to make sure they were clear of snow in the winter so children could safely make their way to the bus stop.
Kenning appeared in Stearns County District Court Tuesday where his bail was set at $2 million unconditional and $1 million with conditions.
The investigation is ongoing.