Man killed 3 at St. Paul apartment after dispute about garage rental
Man killed 3 at St. Paul apartment after dispute about garage rental
Less than 24 hours after a triple homicide at a St. Paul apartment complex, prosecutors have charged a tenant with murder.
Deputies arrested 30-year-old Tsegaab Binessu in the Iron Range Monday night. He was formally charged Tuesday afternoon with the murders of 25-year-old Nansi Fuentes Zambrano, 56-year-old Dena Silcox and 43-year-old Adam Wilwerding.
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St. Paul police found those three dead from multiple gunshot wounds at around 4:10 p.m. Monday. Authorities say several people called 911, reportedly hearing screams and gunshots at an apartment complex near the intersection of St. Paul Avenue and West Seventh Street in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood.Binessu now faces up to 40 years in prison for each murder. He’s due in court for the first time on Wednesday.
New Details
Charging documents reveal that Binessu’s roommate since 2018 called police and said Binessu told him he went to the leasing office, argued with management and ended up killing three people. He then allegedly said he was walking to a police station.
The roommate noted that Binessu quit his job as a trucker two months ago and planned on enlisting in the Navy. Because of that, he was going to sell his car in Maplewood and cancel his $65 per month parking garage contract at the apartment.
Apartment staff later told police that Binessu had called earlier to cancel that parking contract, but they told him he couldn’t get out of paying it after recently renewing it, the complaint states. Binessu replied that he was going to come to the office to talk about it in person.
Surveillance video from the apartment office shows Silcox and Wilwerding talking to Binessu when the tenant suddenly lifts his shirt, pulls out a gun and points it at them, charges state. He then allegedly shot Wilwerding six times and then Silcox six times.
Before the camera feed ended, Binessu walked down a hallway, out of view of the camera, and a scream was heard followed by four more gunshots, the complaint adds. A total of 21 spent casings were recovered in the office.
Binessu was arrested driving Zambrano’s car.
In an interview with police, court documents state that Binessu complained about “the American system,” saying he unsuccessfully tried to bring his wife and kids from Ethiopia for seven years and blamed it for his divorce. He added that apartment management repeatedly blamed issues on “the system,” and believes he was treated unfairly because of his race and immigration history.
The complaint notes that Binessu also said he’d lost everything he cared about, listing his family, business and peace of mind, and said his life without them didn’t make sense anymore. However, he didn’t confess to the shooting, only admitting that he went to the office and had a dispute.
“This shocking act of violence has shaken our community, and we thank the Saint Paul Police Department and other assisting police agencies for their quick work to bring the suspect into custody. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the three victims who lost their lives, and we will do everything in our power to hold the accused accountable and seek justice for our community and victims,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said.
Community reaction
A day after police found three people dead in a leasing office at a St. Paul apartment complex, the community is showing a mixture of cautious relief at the arrest of a suspect, grief over the loss of people many knew for years and frustration at unanswered questions. “It’s tragic. It’s a shame. And … I don’t understand why.”
Tracy Stevens has lived in the apartments for the last seven years. Her building is right next door to the leasing office where three people died Monday night. The first she knew anything was going on, she says, was when she came home.
“I met a couple of police officers down on Davern. Guns drawn. You know? What the hell? And then I come down my street, and they had it blocked off.”
Eventually she learned that she knew the three who’d died. She’s not alone.
“I worked here for a couple months before I was transferred to a different property, but I knew all the office staff for a while,” said Hayen Erickson.He was one of a growing number of people stopping by to contribute to a makeshift memorial outside the leasing office.
“I shouldn’t have to,” he said about the act. “But just [out of] respect, I guess. So … excuse me.”
The loss suddenly weighed heavy on him in the moment.
Everyone who lives in the complex spent Tuesday scouring their memories, wondering if they saw or heard something that could have changed the outcome.
Stevens remembers a man she saw repeatedly over the last few weeks
“He was angry three weeks in a row. That’s it,” she said. “You know, coming back.”
Many are still asking why this had to happen.“We don’t have a clue,” Stevens explained. “I don’t get it. Don’t pay rent, you move. You have an argument with someone, you walk away. You know, shoot him, kill him. I don’t know. And like I said, it’s scary.”
A lot of residents say they never expected to see something like this happen in their neighborhood. Some say they’re now considering moving