Man charged with fatally stabbing his mother's boyfriend north of Twin Cities
COON RAPIDS, Minn. — A 25-year-old Coon Rapids man is accused of fatally stabbing his mother's boyfriend during a fight earlier this week.
On Friday, Romelle Flowers was charged by the Anoka County Attorney's Office with one felony count of second-degree murder.
According to the criminal complaint, shortly before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to a stabbing at a residence on Jay Street Northwest in Coon Rapids. The 911 caller, Flowers' mother, said he had cut her boyfriend.
When officers arrived, the victim was found unconscious in the entryway covered in blood. Officers said he was suffering from several suspected stab wounds. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Flowers' mother reported to police that he and her boyfriend had been arguing all day and that it turned physical at one point, the complaint said. She said her son tried to punch her boyfriend but missed. The boyfriend then punched Flowers in the face before they were separated.
The complaint says Flowers' mother and her boyfriend then went to bed around 2:30 a.m., but Flowers continued to "bang things around" and throw his lighter. About an hour later, she said she woke up to the sound of fighting and walked out of the bedroom to find her boyfriend bleeding profusely.
According to the complaint, Flowers ran from the home and the boyfriend then collapsed in the entryway, prompting the mother to call 911.
Officers located Flowers a short distance away, with "blood on his face, shirt and hands," the complaint said. He refused medical attention when offered.
In a post-Miranda statement with police, Flowers said he had been staying with his mother and her boyfriend for several days. He reported that he had been drinking and watching television in the living room all day. He said the boyfriend attacked him twice. He said the first time he just "took it," but fought back the second time.
A knife with what looked like blood on it was found in the wood line across from the residence. The victim was later identified as 40-year-old Dennard Percy.
Coon Rapids is located about 15 miles north of Minneapolis.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
