A Minnesota man charged with killing a 31-year-old mother-of-two after driving into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis was deemed
A Minnesota man charged with killing a 31-year-old mother-of-two after driving into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis was deemed fit to stand trial, a judge ruled.
Nicholas Kraus, 35, from St Paul, was ‘going at 100 miles an hour’ when he slammed his Jeep Cherokee into a parked car belonging to Deona Marie Knajdek on June 13, court documents showed.
The impact sent the parked car flying into Knajdek and other protesters, cops said. Knadek was reportedly thrown into a stop sign after being hit by Kraus’ car and died at a hospital from her injuries. Three others were injured.
After his arrest, Kraus told officers his name was Jesus Christ and film director Tim Burton, that he had been a carpenter for 2,000 years, and that he wanted to get his children to the Super Bowl, according to the affidavit.
Kraus was charged with second-degree intentional murder and two counts of second-degree intentional assault, according to Fox News.
On Wednesday, a judge found Kraus fit to stand trial, to which the prosecution and defense didn’t object. His trial is scheduled to start on March 21 in Hennepin County.
Nicholas Kraus (pictured), 35, has been deemed fit to stand trial after he allegedly killed a mother-of-two when ‘trying to get to the Super Bowl’
Deona Marie Knajdek, 31, died at a hospital from injuries she sustained when Kraus crashed into a car, pushing it into Knajdek and causing fatal injuries. The mother-of-two was taking part in a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Minneapolis when it happened
Fox reported that investigators called Kraus’ statements ‘bizarre’ in the affidavit. While he admitted to the crime he also asked officers to ‘tell his dead mother that he doesn’t like her’.
Police noted that on the day of the fatal crash his pupils were small and didn’t react to a flashlight. A field sobriety test could not be performed because of his injuries.
The affidavit says a city camera captured the incident and didn’t to show any brake lights before the crash.
Kraus was pulled from his car and beaten by the crowd of protesters before police took him away from the scene in Uptown Minneapolis in handcuffs.
A man caught the brawl on camera and said that the deranged driver was ‘going at 100 miles an hour.’
Police have said Kraus’ motive wasn’t clear but that a preliminary investigation indicated that drugs or alcohol might have been involved.
Knajdek’s brother said his sister would have celebrated her 32nd birthday less than a week after her death, which also would have marked one year of sobriety for her.
Garrett Knajdek said his sister is survived by 11- and 13-year-old daughters, and was actively involved in issues surrounding social justice.
Her Facebook account is filled with references to the BLM movement, including photos of black men who have been killed by the police such as George Floyd and Daunte Wright.
Knajdek is survived by her two daughters, aged 11 (left) and 13 (right). She is pictured on her 30th birthday two years ago
Minneapolis Police were pictured descending on the block long stretch of Lake St in Uptown just before sunset to dismantle the barricades erected by protesters days before the fatal crash
Online jail records showed Kraus was arrested early on June 13 and has been held without bail.
He was also being held on suspicion of driving after a license was canceled and providing false information to police, records showed.
The Hennepin County jail does not accept messages for people in custody and a phone message could not be left for Kraus, according to the Associated Press.
This isn’t the first time Kraus had a run-in with the law. He has five convictions for driving while impaired dating to a 2007 incident, according to online court records.
Court records also showed his driver’s license was cancelled in 2013 because he was found to be ‘inimical to public safety’.
The driver, now identified as Kraus (left), was pulled from his car and beaten by the crowd before being taken away in handcuffs by police late on Sunday in the Uptown area of Minneapolis after fatally injuring Knajdek (right)
A smashed car at the scene which the cameraman says the driver was in ‘going at 100 miles an hour’
Other injuries and deaths have been reported involving vehicles at protests across the US as people have increasingly taken to the streets to press their grievances.
In Minneapolis, marching onto freeways has become a common tactic. Last year a semi-trailer rolled into a crowd marching on a closed Minneapolis freeway. No one was seriously injured.
Republican politicians in several states, including Oklahoma, Florida and Iowa, have sought legal immunity for drivers who hit protesters.
Post source: Daily mail
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