Trial begins for 4 accused in kidnapping, torture of drug cartel debtor in St. Paul
The jury trial is underway for the four people accused of kidnapping and torturing a man in St. Paul, Minnesota, over alleged drug debts to a Mexican cartel.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged three of the suspects in January with two counts of felonious kidnapping: Erilng Soren Holdahl, 48; Kendra Sue Johnson, 39; and Richar Sanchez Mujica, 30.
In February, 45-year-old Timothy Duane Ripley was charged with kidnapping for a reward and kidnapping to commit great bodily harm. All four suspects are still being held on $5 million bonds. The trial started on Friday morning.
According to the criminal complaint, police were investigating Mujica after an informant tipped them off in December 2024 to his alleged drug trafficking connections.
In January, a cooperating defendant involved with the cartel told law enforcement they were tasked with assisting Mujica with torturing and killing a drug debtor.
The complaint states police who were surveilling Mujica pulled him over and arrested him on Jan. 7, along with passenger Ripley, on Phalen Boulevard near the Edgerton Street Bridge. Mujica was allegedly in possession of methamphetamine and a stolen gun, and Ripley also had drugs on him.
Mujica allegedly told police he himself owed the cartel 10 lbs of meth and was forced to make collections on their behalf, the complaint states. Police say Mujica handed them his cellphone, which contained photos — sent by a Mexican phone number over WhatsApp — of a man who looked like he was chained up.
A SWAT team soon reported to the shop — located right across from the St. Paul Police Department Eastern Division Station, and down the block from an elementary school — and called for everyone to come out. Johnson, Holdahl and the victim exited.
The complaint states the victim still had a handcuff on his swollen right wrist, he wasn't wearing shoes and was struggling to walk. He was taken to a local hospital where health care workers determined his bottom teeth were also loose.
Johnson and Holdahl, who were engaged to be married, were arrested. Police say Johnson, who owned the shop, was armed and had a bag of meth on him, according to the complaint. He also faces charges of first-degree drug possession and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The victim told police he had a pending drug case in Hennepin County, and a friend told him to meet a lawyer at the shop. When he arrived, a woman guided him down a hallway where armed men were waiting, the complaint states. He was then beaten before being moved to the basement, where he was handcuffed, tied to a post and suffered more beatings.
The victim says he regained consciousness to find Johnson nearby, who offered him some water and was looking for the handcuff keys. The complaint states Johnson then came down, broke the handcuffs and ordered the victim to get out since SWAT team members were there.
Johnson denied any involvement in the kidnapping, while Holdahl claimed he also has cartel-related debts that led to his shop being used as a drug-deal hub, the complaint states. He told investigators he was "forced into stuff he didn't want to be involved in."
Ripley told investigators he also worked for the cartel to collect debts and denied involvement in the victim's beating, but the complaint states investigators found evidence on his phone that he likely left his device at home on Jan. 6 "to avoid law enforcement analysis and geolocations during criminal activity." Police also found a text where Ripley asked Mujica, "Bro did this guy had a gun when he came inn."
A search of Ripley's residence yielded an assault rifle, ski googles and a camo hoodie, which the victim told police one of his torturers had at the shop.
All four suspects face decades in prison if convicted.
