Charges: Man Accused Of Fatally Shooting St. Paul Mom
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Murder charges have been filed against the alleged shooter in the death of a 24-year-old mother on St. Paul's east side.
Sarah Wierstad died on Oct. 18 after being shot following an apparent burglary of her apartment near the intersection of Beaumont and Bradley streets, police say.
An autopsy showed she suffered a gunshot wound to the heart.
This week, court documents were released showing that 30-year-old Albert McIntosh faces second-degree murder charges in Wierstad's death. Police say another suspect in the burglary told officials that he shot Wierstad after she found them in her apartment.
Last week, Alvin Bell, 24, was also charged with second-degree murder in connection to the shooting. Bell's fingerprints were found in Wierstad's apartment and surveillance footage from a Minneapolis gas station showed him using her credit card about a half hour after the shooting.
The criminal complaint filed against McIntosh says he was with Bell and another man, 26-year-old Isiah Lee Harper, on the night of the burglary.
Harper, who was charged with aggravated robbery and burglary last Friday, told authorities that he, Bell and McIntosh chose Wierstad's apartment at random. He said he was only in it for the money and didn't think anyone would be killed.
Although he gave police differing accounts of the shooting, he said he was acting as a lookout as Bell and McIntosh entered the apartment, the complaint states.
He said that as Bell was handing him stolen items at the front of the building, Weirstad appeared. That's when McIntosh pointed a gun at Wierstad and told her to get on the ground.
Bell took Wierstad's purse, Harper told authorities, and McIntosh told her to stay back. But Wierstad asked the burglars for her phone, saying that her young daughter was on the way over.
McIntosh told her he didn't care and told her to stay back, Harper said.
When Harper got into one of the two getaway cars, he said he saw McIntosh go back over to Wierstad. Shortly after, several shots rang out.
Currently, McIntosh, Bell and Harper are all in custody.
In an interview with police, McIntosh denied knowing Bell or Harper or anything about the shooting.
Officials say McIntosh has five prior felony convictions for burglary and car thefts.
If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, he faces 40 years in prison.
