A Minnesota man has been charged with murder in the death of a former girlfriend with whom he had a child custody dispute.
The criminal complaint reveals that Melissa Hunt, aged 36 and a mother of two, drove up to a driveway in Kellog with facial injuries, including missing teeth, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune. She informed Wabasha County deputies that Craig Hameister, 44, assaulted her with a stick at a nearby boat launch.
Emergency responders took her to a hospital, where she died a few hours later.
Law enforcement initiated a search for Hameister. Although heavy rain likely washed away evidence at the boat launch, they did find an unspent 9mm round, and they discovered his truck near Chatfield, where another live 9mm round was on the floorboard.
A witness reported to the police that Hameister had shown up earlier in a frantic state. He mentioned to the residents that “something bad happened” before abandoning the truck and departing on a motorcycle, as stated by KSTP.
Police later found Hameister at a trailer park in Olmsted County, where he climbed a tree to escape police and engaged in an hours-long standoff from the tree before he was taken into custody.
Investigators found a 9mm handgun at the base of the tree.
Hunt’s autopsy later revealed that the significant injuries to Hunt’s face had gunshot residue embedded in it, the Star Tribune said.
According to court records, Hameister was ordered to pay Hunt $645 per month in child support and nearly $3,000 in past due child support.
Hameister has been charged with two counts of second degree murder and one count of manslaughter. He’s being held on a $2 million bond, Law&Crime reported.
