Inset: Charles Justus (Hubbard County Jail). Background: The Piney Park Mobile Home Community where Justus allegedly attempted to kill his former neighbor (Google Maps).
A 44-year-old man in Minnesota has found himself in police custody after allegedly breaking into his former neighbor’s home and stabbing the individual multiple times in front of his 5-year-old daughter, claiming the attack was motivated by the belief that the victim had an affair with his wife.
Charles Justus was apprehended over the weekend and is now facing charges including first- and second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, and burglary, according to official records.
The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office detailed in a news release that deputies received a call around 3:35 a.m. on October 4 regarding “an adult male and his 5-year-old daughter screaming for help” outside a trailer located in the Piney Park Mobile Home Community in Straight River Township, near Park Rapids. A neighbor informed the dispatcher that upon opening their door, they encountered the man bleeding from the chest with multiple apparent stab wounds.
Law enforcement officers, along with emergency medical teams, arrived on the scene shortly after and discovered the victim — identified as 49-year-old David Kerr — suffering from what appeared to be between eight and ten separate stab wounds.
Kerr managed to inform investigators that Justus, an ex-neighbor, entered his home through an unlocked door and launched the attack with a knife, according to a report from the Park Rapids Enterprise citing a probable cause affidavit. Additionally, the victim’s mother was reportedly able to recognize Justus as the attacker.
Kerr was rushed to nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital via ambulance for treatment. Due to the severity of his condition, he was later airlifted to a hospital in Fargo, North Dakota.
Deputies responded to Justus’ home, where they made contact with him and his wife, Danielle Westphal, both of whom were detained and transported to the sheriff’s office for questioning. The sheriff’s office said Justus voluntarily confessed to the attack.
Inset: Danielle Westphal (Hubbard County Jail). Background: The Piney Park Mobile Home Community where Westphal’s husband allegedly tried to kill his former neighbor (Google Maps).
“During an interview with investigators, Justus admitted to stabbing the victim multiple times with a knife,” the release said. “He told investigators that he once lived next to Kerr and suspected his wife had an affair with Kerr, so he went to his residence to hurt him. As he entered Kerr’s residence, he saw Kerr and Kerr’s daughter on the couch. He began attacking Kerr with his fists and knife.”
Following the attack, Justus said he returned home and told his wife what he had done. The duo then allegedly got into Westphal’s car and drove somewhere to dispose of Justus’ bloody clothing.
Westphal provided authorities with a similar story, per the release.
“Investigators then interviewed Westphal who said that she saw blood on her husband’s arm when he came home,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “He then told her that he had just stabbed Kerr. She admitted to then assisting her husband with disposing of his clothing.”
