MONTEVIDEO – A 44-year-old Montevideo man was stabbed to death Tuesday and his friend who was living at the same address is in custody facing a murder charge.
The victim has been identified by police as Kevin Arthur Richardson.
Richardson was taken to the Chippewa County-Montevideo Hospital with knife wounds.
He died Tuesday night at the hospital.
The suspect in the case has been identified as Michael Dean Grussing, 54.
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He faces pending charges of felony second-degree murder and misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer, according to Minnesota court information available online.
Grussing is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 11:30 Thursday morning for a bail hearing in Chippewa County District Court.
Grussing was arrested shortly after the stabbing was reported at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at 721 Sherman Ave. in Montevideo.
That’s when police received a report of an altercation at the apartment building, which was well-known to police officers.
Montevideo Police Chief Adam Christopher said police have had numerous contacts with the suspect and the victim in the past and are very familiar with that property.
The building is an old grocery store that has been converted into apartments. Christopher said police have been called to that building 34 times since 2013 to respond to domestic assaults and noise complaints.
“We’ve made several arrests out of there for various things, typically assaults,” he said.
The two men were acquaintances and both lived at the location, according to Christopher.
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“We know they were friends,” he said. “This was not a random thing.”
A neighbor said there have been frequent disturbances at the residence, and that when she first heard people screaming Tuesday night, she didn’t pay attention because it had happened so often in the past.
Claudia Anariba said there is “always chaos” at the residence.
Anariba and a friend, Beverly Zuniga, told the Tribune that they were sitting outside when they saw the victim go into the house.
Shortly afterward they heard screaming and Richardson came out of the home, crying out in pain.
Zuniga said she saw a bloody “hole” in the victim’s neck and that a man with a knife was chasing him.
“It was, like, so scary,” Zuniga said.
“I was scared for him and for us as well,” Anariba said.
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The women called 911 and within minutes police arrived, Zuniga said.
When officers arrived, they learned that Richardson had been transported by a private vehicle to the hospital where he later died.
Grussing left the scene on foot but was located outside a few houses away, said Christopher.
“He kind of ran away and hid but was rapidly found,” Christopher said.
Grussing has been in custody in the Chippewa County Jail since Tuesday evening.
At this point in the investigation, Christopher said he has “no clue” what prompted the altercation.
“I don’t think we know what prompted this,” he said, adding that Grussing “isn’t talking to us about that.”
According to Minnesota court records available online, Grussing has a long criminal history dating back to 1988, many of the convictions alcohol-related.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the investigation.
Tribune Photographer Rand Middleton contributed to this story.
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