James Nyonteh, of Champlin, found guilty of 1st-degree murder in wife's stabbing death
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Champlin man has been convicted on multiple felony counts in the stabbing death of his wife early last year.
On March 28, 2022, Peachu Yates, 35, was found bleeding and not breathing in the front yard of a home on Thousand Pines Entry in Champlin. According to the criminal complaint, when police arrived at the scene, a girl was next to Yates, screaming, "He killed her." Yates, a mother of three, was declared dead at a nearby hospital.
A witness told police she was on the phone with Yates when Yates' husband — the now 47-year-old James Nyonteh — showed up at the home with a knife. The witness said she heard Nyonteh in the background say he just wanted to talk, and then the phone call was terminated.
Police say Nyonteh drove off and abandoned his SUV in a neighboring city. Officers found a knife and hatchet inside. A SWAT team helped arrest Nyonteh hours later in Fargo. He was later sent back to Minnesota.
On Friday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said a jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Prosecutors are seeking an aggravated sentencing, saying "the victim in this case was treated with particular cruelty" and left outside a relative's home. The sentencing was set for Jan. 3, 2024. Nyonteh faces a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of release on the premeditated first-degree murder conviction.
"This was a horrific case of intimate partner and sexual violence," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "Nyonteh is a serious threat to public safety but the public will now be safe from him. We are grateful to the jury for their time on this case and I hope these verdicts help both the surviving victim and all who were impacted by these crimes on the path to healing."
For anonymous, confidential help, anyone can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.