Man Pleads Guilty To Stabbing Brother In Chest, Stomach, Hands
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Grand Rapids man pleaded guilty Monday to stabbing his brother in the chest, stomach arms and hands with a knife.
Kalin Vaughn William Wenell-Jack, 31, was accused of threatening to kill his brother and a witness if they contacted law enforcement, and the Itasca County Attorney had charged him with attempted murder, witness tampering, false imprisonment and felony assault.
But Wenell-Jack pleaded guilty only to a second-degree assault charge as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
He's expected to serve a 10-year prison term, which is an upward departure from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.
Wennell-Jack was drinking with his brother during the early hours of March 25 in a basement apartment in LaPrairie, according to the criminal complaint.
The brother told police Wennell-Jack got on top of him on the ground of the living room. At first, he thought he was being punched, but soon realized he had been stabbed.
The brother said he pleaded with Wennell-Jack to stop but was too weak to fight back.
The witness said the brother yelled out, asking him to call 911, but Wennell-Jack turned on the brother with the knife, demanding he stay put.
The witness ran then ran to an upstairs apartment to call 911.
Wennell-Jack told his brother he was afraid of returning to prison for the rest of his life and did not let him leave until he agreed "not to tell the cops or their parents," according to the criminal complaint.
When police arrived, there was a pool of blood on the apartment floor, and a trail of blood from the apartment door all the way to the outside of the building.
The brother was taken to the Grand Itasca emergency room, where a physician described his injuries as "substantial bodily harm." He was later taken to Duluth St. Mary's Hospital for exploratory surgery.
Since 2001, Wennell-Jack has been convicted of felony robbery and assault, and of nine misdemeanors.
Wenell-Jack is currently in Itasca County Jail and is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 31.
