Relative charged in Bloomington stabbing that left man dead, woman injured
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- A 44-year-old Savage man has been charged with allegedly killing a man and injuring a woman inside their Bloomington house last week.
On Monday, the suspect was charged in Hennepin County with second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder in connection to the Aug. 24 incident, court documents show.
According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched at 4:41 a.m. to a call for help at a residence on the 1000 block of 105th Street West. When they arrived, officers could see a 72-year-old woman lying on the floor inside the living room.
As officers were attempting to enter the home, they heard noises from the basement and saw a man emerge from an open window, the complaint said. The man allegedly ignored commands from officers to stop and fled on foot. He was later located and arrested.
Officials say the suspect had what appeared to be blood on his clothes. In his possession, he had a metal bar and a "partial nun chuck" that also had what appeared to have blood on it, the complaint said.
Back at the house, officers found a man upstairs who had a severe laceration to his neck as well as other injuries to his head, face and hands - including defensive wounds, the complaint said. He died later at the hospital. He was later identified as 74-year-old Mark Alan Novak.
The woman found in the living room also had extensive injuries, but was able to talk to officers. She said she was sleeping inside the bedroom with her husband when they were woken up by man "beating them with an unknown object," the complaint said. She said the man is a relative.
The female victim told officials she was able to escape the initial attack, but was pushed down the stairs. She was able to find her cell phone and call 911. She suffered numerous injuries, including bone fractures and lacerations, and remains hospitalized in critical, but stable, condition.
According to the complaint, the suspect told officers that he went to the residence to return house keys that belonged to the victims, but "when he arrived, he discovered an intruder already in the home." He said he struggled with the intruder and got his weapons before the intruder escaped out the front door.
The man faces up to 40 years in prison if he's convicted of the murder charge.