Law enforcement in the Land of 10,000 Lakes has reported that an octogenarian Minnesota man killed his wife of over 65 years during an altercation this month with a “large kitchen knife,” and he is currently in jail.
Prosecutors in Wright County have filed a statement of probable cause charging 85-year-old Rodney Allen Andersen with one count of second-degree murder without premeditation.
According to police and prosecutors, the alleged self-widower contacted 911 himself after the incident and confessed to the knife attack, even informing dispatchers where he dumped the murder weapon.
The charging complaint states that the incident happened on September 12 in the late morning hours. Law enforcement said that Andersen contacted 911 just before 10 a.m. to report that “he had stabbed his wife and placed the knife in the sink.”
Responding officers were informed by a dispatcher that the defendant was ready to meet them at the couple’s home on Knollwood Street West in Annandale, a small town about 50 miles northwest of Minneapolis with 26 lakes.
According to reports, the spouse informed dispatchers that he “was not sure” if his wife was still alive. She wasn’t. Andersen’s wife is identified in the charging complaint as “JLA.” County officials later disclosed her complete name.
Andersen was sitting on the steps right inside the home’s front entrance area when the police came. According to the police, they attempted to get the defendant to leave the foyer by using the public address system first.
Officers then made the decision to give him a call. Police say they “made exigent entry” to see how the victim was doing after their second attempt to get him out of the residence failed.
“When officers entered the home, the defendant was sitting on the steps of the home with his hands on his head with his face looking down at the floor,” according to the probable cause statement. “The defendant was shaking.”
The 4-page charging statement states that Janet Louise Andersen, 82, was discovered inside, laying on her back on the kitchen floor.
According to the authorities, there was a pool of blood surrounding the woman’s body. Law police stated that even though she was still warm, her shirt was “soaked in blood” and that she had no pulse. The victim’s belly was reported to have “several” puncture holes, “with blood oozing out of them.””
According to the probable cause statement, the injuries were “obvious stab wounds from which she was heavily bleeding,” according to the police.
After responding police failed to save Janet Andersen’s life, they handed the impossible task over to paramedics, who discovered she had passed away at the scene of the crime.
“When officers cleared the home, they observed it was occupied only by the defendant and JLA,” as per the probable cause statement. “Officers observed a large kitchen knife in the sink that appeared to have blood on it.”
According to authorities, the defendant talked candidly about the deadly occurrence after being taken to the police station and given a Miranda warning.
Investigators were purportedly informed by the husband that he and his spouse were wed in 1958 and that they “continuously argue.”
The charging document states that that day, at around seven in the morning, the two “had a big argument” and a “fight” that “lasted until he called 911.”
When asked how he explained the end of his contentious marriage and, more likely, his life beyond the walls of a prison or the jurisdiction of the court, Andersen replied, “I guess I lost my head.”
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“The defendant said the knives are kept in the butcher block in the kitchen,” as per the probable cause statement. “The defendant guessed he grabbed the knife from the butcher block. The defendant said he does not remember how many times he stabbed JLA but knew he stabbed her at least once. The defendant said he stabbed JLA in the ‘middle’ somewhere. The defendant was unsure of the force used when he stabbed JLA.”
According to a press release from the prosecution, the defendant’s bail was set last week at $1 million with conditions or $3 million without them.
The next scheduled court date for Andersen is September 19.
