Man convicted in brutal Elk River carjacking sentenced to 6 years
ELK RIVER, Minn. — A 56-year-old man learned his fate on Monday morning for a 2023 carjacking in Elk River, where he beat up his victim before dragging her behind her SUV.
Edward James Lafore Jr. crashed into Billi Jo Kruse's car on Highway 169 last January. She invited him into her car because it was cold as she called 911.
Lafore then told her to get out of the car or he'd shoot her. When she refused, he hit her before pushing her out of the car, and she was dragged along the road as he drove away.
Sherburne County Judge Judge Walter Kaminsky sentenced Lafore to a total of 72 months for second-degree aggravated robbery, third-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
With credit for time served, and under Minnesota's sentencing guidelines, Lafore will spend less than 2.5 years in prison.
His defense attorney sought a downward dispositional departure to put Lafore in treatment instead. Lafore himself did not make a statement.
"I'm glad he's behind bars"
Kruse gave a victim impact statement to the court on Monday, in which she described the enduring trauma she's faced since the carjacking took place.
She said it has "scarred" her and left her a "broken woman."
"I harbor anger for Mr. Lafore. This is what I mean when I say Mr. Lafore has changed my positive position on people as a whole," Kruse said. "This event has scarred me. Even though scars remain throughout time, I sincerely hope mine fades a bit."
Kruse also gave WCCO a brief interview following the sentencing, saying that while she's "glad he's behind bars" and she feels safer, she doesn't feel the sentence matched the severity of the crime.
"I don't feel he got enough time," Kruse said.
Details of the 2023 attack
According to the criminal complaint, victim Kruse told police Lafore rear-ended her on Highway 169 at 205th Avenue Northwest on Jan. 22. 2023, shattering her back window. Lafore's SUV, registered to his father, ended up in a ditch.
Kruse invited Lafore to sit in her SUV due to the cold weather and she called 911. But Lafore ended the call, telling Kruse he was drunk and "couldn't get another DWI."
Lafore then ordered Kruse to get out of her SUV, and she refused. Lafore then threatened to shoot her before he punched her "several times in the face and the back of the head," according to the criminal complaint.
Kruse told WCCO weeks after the attack that she pleaded with Lafore as he pummeled her.
"I told him, 'I have kids, please don't do this,'" Kruse told WCCO. "Bottom line, I should never have let him in my vehicle."
Lafore unbuckled Kruse, pushed her out of the SUV and drove off. Kruse's arm was still caught in the seat belt and she was dragged along the highway for some time before freeing herself, the complaint states.
Kruse suffered a concussion in the attack, a loose tooth and scrapes to her lower back.
Police found a loaded gun in Lafore's father's SUV that was left in the ditch. His father told investigators Lafore had stolen his vehicle and a gun.
Kruse's SUV was later found outside Lafore's aunt's home in north Minneapolis.
Police eventually captured Lafore in Hennepin County, and he has since been held in the Sherburne County Jail.
Lafore has a previous felony conviction for making terroristic threats.
WCCO also spoke last year with Kristi Bridgeman, a good Samaritan who pulled over on the highway after hearing Kruse's screams. Bridgeman comforted Kruse as they waited for first responders.
"I just saw you running towards me and just holding me and telling me, 'It's OK, I'm here now,'" Kruse told Bridgeman.
Both women told WCCO they're suffering from anxiety following the attack.