Dunn County jury finds Minnesota man guilty of hiding 4 corpses in the Town of Sheridan
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A Dunn County jury has found a Minnesota man guilty of hiding the bodies of four murder victims in a corn field in the Town of Sheridan as a party to a crime in September of 2021.
Darren L. Osborne, age 59, defended himself during a three-day trial that started in Dunn County Circuit Court on October 28.
Osborne fired two attorneys previously. A third attorney, who is representing him in a separate case of battery by a prisoner, declined to represent him in the trial pertaining to leaving the murder victims not far from the Sheridan town hall.
After firing his first two attorneys, on-line court records indicate that the Public Defender’s office had contacted dozens of attorneys, trying to find someone who could represent Osborne.
Osborne had told Judge James Peterson that he “wanted an attorney who would do what he told the attorney to do.”
The four victims were identified as Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley (age 30) (found in the front passenger seat of the SUV); Jasmine Christine Sturm (age 31) (rear passenger side); Loyace Foreman III (age 35) (center rear seat); Matthew Isiah Pettus (age 26) (rear driver’s side seat).
Jury selection
During jury selection Monday, October 28, 16 potential jurors were “excused for cause.
The jury was finally selected and seated by about 1:45 p.m. Monday.
Prior to the beginning of jury selection, Judge Peterson had asked Osborne about his refusal to wear civilian clothes in court.
Osborne told the judge he had decided to wear his jail uniform since it was more comfortable, according to on-line court records.
Osborne then told Judge Peterson that he wanted to waive the jury trial.
The judge noted that Osborne did have a competency examination, and that while the defendant may have issues, he also has knowledge and asked Osborne if he was making the decision knowingly.
During a court hearing June 17, Osborne’s second attorney, Shirlene Perrin, filed a motion for a competency hearing.
On August 9, Judge Peterson found that Osborne was competent to proceed.
Following Judge Peterson’s review of the charges against Osborne on the first day of the trial and the maximum penalties, Osborne then decided that he wanted to wear street clothes during the trial.
The court recessed for 15 minutes, and when court was back in session again, Osborne said he wanted to proceed with a court trial.
During a court trial, there is no jury, and the judge hears all of the evidence and pronounces a verdict.
Jury selections started at about 10:30 a.m. Monday after the court had questioned the defendant following the defendant’s desire for a court trial.
First witnesses
Monday afternoon, Deputy Corey Steinkraus, Officer Emmer Shields, and Deputy Chad Mousel were called to testify.
Following the testimony, a flash drive of Officer Shields’ body camera footage was entered into evidence along with a cell phone photo of the dead front-seat passenger and a cell phone photo of the three dead back-seat passengers.
After Deputy Mousel testified, a flash drive with the surveillance video from the Bridge Stop in Wheeler was entered into evidence along with five screen shots of the Mercedes driven by Antoine Suggs, who is Osborne’s son and who was convicted by a Minnesota jury of committing the murder of four people.
Suggs was convicted by a Ramsey County, Minnesota, jury on four counts of second degree murder (with intent, not premeditated) in March of 2023, and was sentenced in May of 2023 to 103 years in prison.
Change of venue
On the second day of the jury trial, October 29, Osborne made yet another motion for a change of venue and told Judge Peterson that he wanted to leave.
In the previous months leading up to the trial date, Osborne had made several requests for a change of venue, which were denied by Judge Peterson.
Osborne had told the judge he did not think he could get a fair trial in Dunn County, although it was not clear from on-line court records why Osborne thought he would not get a fair trial in Dunn County.
Judge Peterson questioned Osborne, and said if the defendant “wants to absent self,” he “waives the right to be personally present.”
The judge also told Osborne he “can come back at any time.”
Osborne was removed from the courtroom, then the jurors were brought in, and additional witnesses were called to testify.
About a half an hour after Osborne left the courtroom, the court officer contacted the jail to ask if Osborne wanted to return to the courtroom.
Additional witnesses were called to testify, and at 10 a.m., because one of the jurors needed a break, the court was in recess for 20 minutes.
By the time the court was back in session, Osborne had returned to the courtroom.
Additional witnesses were called, and more evidence was placed on the record as exhibits, including flash drives containing drone footage, video footage and a thumb drive from Dairy State Bank, which is located across the road from the Bridge Stop in Wheeler.
Suggs
Following a lunch break, Osborne again told the court “he wanted to leave,” and the judge again told the defendant that if he wanted to leave, he waived the right to be personally present.
Judge Peterson asked Osborne if he wanted to be present in the courtroom when Antoine Suggs testified.
On-line court records indicate Osborne was removed from the courtroom at 1:20 p.m.
The judge noted that Osborne had chosen to leave the courtroom, and a witness continued testimony.
The witness was excused at 1:24 p.m, and then the jurors were excused.
The judge made a record for the court that “reflects raised voices and concerning behavior from safety measures.”
Judge Peterson addressed the prior record of Antoine Suggs and allowed charges of driving after revocation, along with four second-degree murder charges — 13 prior arrests all together — that the prosecution was allowed to talk about in court.
After Suggs entered the courtroom, the judge told Suggs about the decision to allow the use of the 13 prior arrests and why Osborne was not present in the courtroom.
When the jury returned to the courtroom, Suggs was sworn in to testify.
Judge Peterson noted that Suggs was not answering questions and that it was a basis for him “to be found unavailable.”
The prosecution asked Suggs more questions, and the judge noted again that Suggs was not answering questions.
After the jurors were excused and then brought back into the courtroom, additional law enforcement officers were called to give testimony.
Following a brief recess, court was back in session again at 3:31, and Judge Peterson noted for the record that Osborne was back in the courtroom in his jail uniform.
More witnesses testified, and at 3:39 p.m., the jury was excused.
Judge Peterson asked Osborne if he wished to remain in the courtroom, go into a separate room to view the evidence or go back to the jail.
Osborne would not answer the judge, on-line court records note.
When the jury returned to the courtroom, the prosecution continued to question witnesses and to show evidence in the form of video clips.
At the end of the day on Tuesday, the jury was excused at 4:54 p.m.
Request to plea
When the trial resumed on Wednesday morning, October 30, at 9:30 a.m., Osborne told the court he would like to speak to District Attorney Andrea Nodolf regarding a plea.
Nodolf said she was not willing to talk with Osborne at this point in the trial.
Shortly after the jurors were brought into the courtroom, the prosecution rested its case.
Osborne called one witness, Officer Mark McElroy, and after the witness was excused, the jurors were excused.
Judge Peterson spoke to Osborn about whether he wanted to testify on his own behalf.
The court reviewed the jury instructions, and at 11:36 a.m., court was in recess until 1 p.m.
After the lunch break, the prosecution and Osborne gave their closing arguments.
The jury was excused to deliberate at 3 p.m. and returned with a verdict at 4:35 p.m.
The jury found Osborne guilty on all four counts of hiding a corpse as a party to a crime.
Judge Peterson revoked Osborne’s bail, which was set at $50,000 cash on May 31, 2024, and ordered a pre-sentence investigation.
Osborne is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing in Dunn County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. on December 13.
Hiding a corpse is a Class F felony that carries a possible penalty of a fine of up $25,000 and/or up to 12 years and six months in prison.
St. Paul to Wheeler
Witnesses in St. Paul recall seeing the victims getting into the Mercedes SUV that Suggs had been driving that contained the bodies of the four victims.
Phone data shows that one of the victims created a contact for Suggs at 3:08 a.m. and that Suggs’ phone and the Mercedes remained parked until around 3:30 a.m.
Surveillance video from Seventh Street and Walnut Street in St. Paul showed the Mercedes at 3:48 a.m., and it appears one of the victims is already slumped over in the front passenger seat.
“Investigators believe that Suggs killed the four victims in the area of Seventh Street in St. Paul, Ramsey County, between 3:30 a.m. and 3:48 a.m. on September 12, 2021,” according to the statement of probable cause rom Ramsey County.
According to the criminal complaint from Dunn County, the sheriff’s department received a report on Sunday, September 12, 2021, at about 2:18 p.m. of multiple people who were not moving in a vehicle. The vehicle was located in a corn field on County Road VVV in the Town of Sheridan.
Law enforcement officers responded and located the vehicle, which was identified as a 2008 black Mercedes Benz with Minnesota registration.
Officers observed four people in the vehicle, all of whom appeared to be deceased.
After receiving a tip from an individual who had seen two vehicles driven by black men near the Sheridan Town Hall between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday, a Dunn County deputy went to the Bridge Stop gas station in Wheeler to review video surveillance from shortly after noon on Sunday, September 12, according to the complaint.
A black Nissan Rouge can be seen pulling up to the gas pump at the Bridge Stop at about 12:07 p.m.
The driver of the Nissan, an adult black male, wearing an “I am black history” shirt, goes into the store to purchase some items and then exits the store.
A black Mercedes pulled into the parking lot next to the Nissan Rouge.
The last three numbers on the registration plate of the Mercedes were “325” and were consistent with the vehicle in which the four victims had been found, the complaint states.
The driver of the Nissan made contact with the driver of the Mercedes and appeared to exchange something. The Mercedes can then be seen traveling north on state Highway 25, followed by the Nissan.
The driver of the Nissan was subsequently identified as Darren Osborne, and the driver of the Mercedes was identified as Antoine Suggs.
