Murder charges upgraded in shooting death of beloved Twin Cities chef
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A man set to start trial next week in the shooting deaths of his cousin and a well-known Twin Cities chef outside of a celebration of life ceremony will now face harsher criminal charges.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office announced on Monday that John Lee Edmondson, 53, is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of 37-year-old Troy Kennedy and 34-year-old Larry "Chef Hot Hands" Jiles Jr. on Feb. 25, 2023, in St. Paul.
Edmondson was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.
Witnesses recount chaos after peaceful gathering
According to the criminal complaint, the ceremony was held at the Kings Crossing senior living residence off University Avenue West and Dale Street North. As dozens of people were leaving the event, witnesses say Kennedy walked around the parking lot with a gun, "looking for a man he was angry with."
Witnesses say Jiles heard a commotion and came out with a gun, leading others in the parking lot to urge him to put it away and "reminding (him) that everyone there was family."
The complaint states witnesses then saw Edmondson drive up, get out of his vehicle, walk over to Jiles and put his left arm around him before allegedly shooting him three times in the head and neck at point-blank range.
Witnesses say Edmondson then fired six to seven shots indiscriminately "from his hip at everyone in the parking lot," striking Kennedy, another man and two women.
The complaint says Edmondson yelled out, "Who else want it," before ordering his mother to "get in the car!" He then fled the area.
Kennedy was shot twice, with one of the rounds severing an artery near his hip. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office says he bled to death.
Jiles suffered two gunshot wounds that struck his brain, brain stem and cervical vertebrae.
Edmondson's criminal history
The complaint states a witness told investigators that the shooting may have been connected to someone "working with the police and snitching."
Later, police got an anonymous tip that Edmondson — who was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree aggravated assault in Ramsey County in the 90s — was trying to flee Minnesota, and had allegedly told multiple people that he wasn't "going back to prison," and would "shoot it out with police" if it came to that.
According to the complaint, Edmondson's previous conviction was tied to his participation in a "group that targeted and robbed drug dealers."
Remembering "Chef Hot Hands"
Jiles was born in St. Paul and grew up in Hugo, eventually opening a restaurant in Centerville.
D. Love, the city's mayor, told WCCO last year Jiles was a husband and father who "really had big dreams."
"Every time we had events he was involved in it, he came out, he cooked food, he sold food," Love said. "And just to lose that as a part of our community will be really a miss and a loss for us."
Edmondson's next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Note: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Feb. 26, 2023.