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Jacob and Margaret Kempainen (Cerro Gordo County Jail) and Alvin Kempainen (Memorial Chapel Funeral Service)
Disturbing new details have emerged in the case of an 87-year-old man in Michigan who authorities say was killed by his 20-year-old grandson and 50-year-old daughter-in-law, both of whom allegedly went on to make such bizarre claims that authorities included “evidence of paranormal activity” in a search warrant.
Jacob Kempainen, a student at the University of Minnesota, and his mother Margaret Kempainen are both facing one count each of open murder and conspiracy to commit homicide in the fatal shooting of Alvin Kempainen, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Jacob Kempainen is also charged with one count of felony firearm possession.
Authorities said that the mother and son live in Wisconsin, traveled to Michigan where they allegedly killed Alvin Kempainen, and were then arrested in Iowa. Jacob Kempainen also has an apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attends college.
According to a report from Marquette, Michigan, NBC and Fox affiliate WLUC, deputies with the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office at about 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19 responded to a call requesting a wellness check at a home in the 53000 block of Salo Road, just a few miles south of Lake Superior.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found Alvin Kempainen suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Investigators were able to quickly identify Margaret and Jacob Kempainen as potential suspects in the fatal shooting. They were reportedly located — still in Minnesota — driving south on Interstate 35 toward Iowa. Authorities contacted the Clear Lake, Iowa, police department and officers were able to apprehend the duo when they stopped at a local gas station.
Additional details about the investigation were revealed in court documents obtained by Minneapolis-based online news site, Bring Me the News.
According to the report, authorities in Minnesota executed a search warrant on Jacob Kempainen’s Minneapolis apartment located in connection with the murder investigation.
The warrant reportedly states that Margaret Kempainen’s husband, who is also Jacob Kempainen’s father, told authorities that his family on Dec. 7, 2023, left him in Wisconsin and had not contacted him since leaving. However, he told authorities that after seeing a debit card transaction in Bruce Crossing, Michigan, he believed his family was traveling to his father’s home to “get money,” leading him to fear that the older man was in trouble.
Alvin Kempainen at about 9 p.m. on Dec. 18 reportedly texted his son that the family — which he referred to as “the crew” — had just arrived at his home. He then stopped responding to additional messages and calls from his son.
Following the arrests, Margaret Kempainen allegedly told police that her son was the one who killed Alvin Kempainen, but both suspects reportedly made numerous outlandish claims about the circumstances of the shooting.
For example, Jacob Kempainen allegedly told police that when they arrived at Alvin Kempainen’s home, they believed the 87-year-old had already been killed by malevolent spirits and that the individual in the home was “not grandpa.”
“(Jacob) advised that the spirits stated grandpa opened the well up behind the house and the spirits killed him,” the search warrant reportedly states.
Per the report, investigators even noted that the mother and son’s stories were eerily similar to the events in M. Night Shyamalan’s film “The Visit.”
The search warrant reportedly states that Minnesota authorities were authorized to seize any “evidence of paranormal activity, spirits, possession of bodies including but not limited to the 2015 movie ‘The Visit.””
Both Kempainens are currently being held in Houghton County Jail without bond. A judge recently ordered them to undergo competency evaluations to determine if they can stand trial.
Margaret Kempainen is currently scheduled to appear in court again at 9:30 a.m. on March 22 while her son is scheduled to appear in court at 9:30 a.m. on March 8, records show.
