A Sauk Rapids teenager told police he was listening to a song about murder when he decided to run over a 70-year-old man on a St. Cloud walking path Friday evening, killing him.
Israel Muyaya Madimba, 16, has been charged with felony counts of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree murder with intent in the death of Norbert Olmscheid of St. Cloud.
The St. Cloud Police Department (SCPD) reported that they responded Friday to a report of a vehicle striking a pedestrian who had been on a walking path. Officers performed life-saving measures, but Olmscheid later died at the hospital. SCPD said in their press release that the driver of the vehicle fled from the scene but was ultimately taken into custody.
— SCPD (@StCloudPDMN) April 24, 2023
The Stearns County Attorney’s Office announced the murder charges on Monday. The criminal complaint states that Madimba admitted to stealing the vehicle from a nearby YMCA after finding the vehicle’s keys in a locker.
Madimba said he saw Olmscheid, whom he did not know, and decided to run him over. Madimba said he turned onto the sidewalk and started driving slowly behind Olmscheid but then accelerated and struck the man.
Madimba admitted to police that he had been “listening to a song about murder” before striking the unsuspecting victim. Madimba’s admissions of intentionally planning and then striking and killing the victim were corroborated by the observations of witnesses. The criminal complaint does not detail whether any of the witnesses were inside the vehicle with Madimba or whether they were bystanders.
Police confirmed the vehicle was stolen from the YMCA, and officers were able to obtain video of the motor vehicle theft as well as the vehicle driving on the walking path.
Madimba made his first court appearance on Monday and was granted a public defender. Bail has been set at $2 million and Madimba’s next court hearing is scheduled for May 8. If convicted, the first-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence. Madimba is being held in a juvenile facility.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
