Antoine Suggs Charged With Murdering 4 Minnesotans Found Dead In Wisconsin Cornfield

(Originally published Sept. 21, 2021)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Antoine Suggs was charged Tuesday in connection with the deaths of four Minnesotans, who were all found in an abandoned SUV in a western Wisconsin cornfield.

The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office says 38-year-old Suggs, from Scottsdale, Arizona, faces four counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of St. Paul residents Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30, Loyace Foreman III, 35, Matthew Pettus, 26, and Jasmine Sturm, 30. Investigators say all four were fatally shot in the head in St. Paul on Sept. 12.

The bodies were found later that afternoon in a black Mercedes-Benz SUV in a field near Sheridan Township, Wisconsin. Six shell casings were found inside, as well as Suggs's blood-covered Arizona photo ID.

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According to the criminal complaint, witnesses said Flug-Presley and a man believed to be Suggs were seen together at the White Squirrel bar in St. Paul on the evening of Sept. 11 and the early morning of Sept. 12. Foreman, Pettus, and Sturm were at Shamrocks Grill and Pub down the block, and met up with Flug-Presley at the White Squirrel after 1 a.m.

A witness said Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus got into a black SUV with an unknown man just after 2 a.m. Investigators say no one had any contact with the victims after that point.

Investigators believe Suggs killed his victims between 3:30 a.m. and 3:48 a.m. on West Seventh Street in St. Paul. He then contacted his father, Darren Osborne, about an hour later, according to cellphone data. Three hours later, the Mercedes-Benz SUV was seen in a surveillance video in St. Paul being closely followed by a Nissan Rogue, which was later determined to be Suggs's mother's vehicle.

More than two hours later, the Mercedes-Benz and the Nissan were seen at a St. Paul gas station. Surveillance footage clearly shows Flug-Presley "slumped over" in the front passenger seat, which investigators say was the same way she was found in the vehicle in Wisconsin. Police were able to identify Suggs in surveillance video because he wasn't wearing a mask.

Surveillance video also showed a Nissan and a Mercedes-Benz pulling up together at a gas station 10 miles away from where the bodies were found in Wisconsin. Osborne is seen in the video going into the store to buy some items. Investigators later found apparent blood stains on the ground near where the Mercedes-Benz was parked.

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Osborne later told investigators that Suggs showed up "where he had spent the night" at 5 a.m. on Sept. 12, with Suggs's mother tow, which Osborne said was "odd." He said Suggs urged his parents "to get along with each other," and to watch after his children. After Suggs's mother left, Osborne said Suggs asked him to follow him in his mother's car, later revealing that he "had snapped and shot a couple people."

Osborne said he then went with his son to drop off the SUV with the bodies in tow in Wisconsin, and later dropped Suggs off in Minneapolis. Osborne denied knowing any of the victims. He was later charged with four counts of hiding a corpse with intent to conceal a crime, and is being held in the Ramsey County Jail.

Police say Suggs had an airline ticket to return to Arizona on the night of Sept. 12, but he never got on that flight. Suggs was charged with four counts of hiding a corpse in Dunn County three days later. On Sept. 17, he turned himself in to authorities in Arizona, where he is awaiting extradition back to Minnesota. If convicted, Suggs could face up to 160 years in prison.

County Attorney John Choi said in a statement Tuesday that his heart goes out to "the families and friends of the victims," and he applauded the work of St. Paul police.

"My greatest appreciation for the diligent work on this case by the Saint Paul Police Department and other law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly to find the truth," Choi said.

Nitosha Flug-Presley's father, Damone Presley, told WCCO Tuesday that he's "so grateful" for the charges against Suggs.