Iron Range man convicted again in 1986 cold case murder
MINNEAPOLIS — An Iron Range man has again been convicted of murder in the 1986 killing of 38-year-old Nancy Daugherty.
A jury found Michael Carbo Jr., 56, guilty on Friday of two counts of first-degree murder while committing criminal sexual conduct, according to the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
Daugherty was found dead in her Chisholm home on July 16, 1986, by police conducting a welfare check. Officials say she had been beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled. Witnesses later reported hearing a woman screaming in the early morning hours.
BCA scientists obtained a full DNA suspect profile from bodily fluids found on the victim and at the scene. At that time, the DNA did not match any persons in the criminal DNA database.
Over the years, investigators interviewed and collected DNA from more than 100 people.
In 2020, authorities obtained a DNA sample from Carbo, of Chisholm, with his consent, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed the sample was a match to the bodily fluids found on the victim and at the scene. Carbo was arrested in July of that year.
A jury in 2022 convicted Carbo of the same charges he was convicted of on Friday.
In May 2024, the Minnesota Supreme Court revered Carbo's conviction, saying the judge in the 2022 trial unjustly denied his defense's attempt to submit evidence of a possible alternative suspect.
Carbo's second trial started on Jan. 13.
"Our thoughts go out to the family of Nancy Daugherty," said county attorney Kim Maki. "This has been a long road to justice. The family of Ms. Daugherty has shown the utmost strength, and we thank them for their support from the beginning to the end."
Carbo's sentencing is set for March 4.
