Third person convicted for the 2021 murder of Ricky Balsimo
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jacob Johnson was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder for the June 2021 murder of Ricky Balsimo on Wednesday.
This marks the Attorney General Keith Ellison's third conviction of a defendant in the murder of Balsimo, who took on the case upon the request of Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken.
"My thoughts are once again today with the victim's family, who have once again had to relive their loved one's horrific murder. I hope this conviction of the third defendant in Mr. Balsimo's murder brings them that much more of a sense accountability and one step closer to healing," Ellison said.
According to court documents, on June 20, 2021, Johnson shot and killed Balsimo in St. Paul following an argument. After murdering Balsimo, Johnson transported his body to Superior, Wisconsin where he enlisted the help of Robert West to conceal and dismember the body.
After dismembering Balsimo, Johnson and West put his body parts into several buckets and a tote, then drove to Grand Portage where they disposed of his body parts in Lake Superior.
Johnson claimed self-defense in the shooting, per court documents.
West was convicted on Feb. 8 for one count of being an accessory after the fact to murder, and one count of interference with a dead body. Sentencing for West in Wisconsin is still pending, but sentencing for his Minnesota conviction is scheduled for Aug. 29.
Tommi Hintz pleaded guilty to one count of aiding an offender after the fact. Hintz's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15.
Sentencing for Johnson has been scheduled for Sept. 11.
Like West, Johnson faces charges in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. In Wisconsin, Johnson has been charged with mutilating a corpse and an unrelated possession of a firearms charge.
NOTE: The original air date of the video attached to this article was Feb. 9, 2023.
