Inset: Jonathon M. Kaupa (Ramsey County Adult Detention Center). Background: The Equinox Apartments where the fatal stabbing allegedly took place (Google Maps).
A Minnesota man, aged 31, is facing serious charges after allegedly stabbing his 44-year-old neighbor to death and injuring the neighbor’s teenage son. Following the violent incident, he reportedly told a rideshare driver that the blood on his phone was merely “fish guts.”
Jonathon Michael Kaupa has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder, as per official records. He is also accused of severely injuring the teenager during the attack.
According to a news release issued by the St. Anthony Police Department, officers were called to the Equinox Apartments on Silver Lane Road around 5 a.m. in response to a reported stabbing in the hallway. Upon arrival, they discovered a 44-year-old man and a teenage boy suffering from multiple stab wounds.
The adult victim was declared dead at the scene. The teenage boy was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center with severe injuries, including stab wounds to his chest, neck, and head.
Initially, witnesses informed investigators that the attacker remained inside his apartment. However, it was later uncovered that he had fled immediately following the alleged assault.
“Investigators learned that the suspect might be traveling in a vehicle heading north of the metro area,” the police release stated. “An alert was dispatched to regional law enforcement, leading to the suspect’s apprehension by police shortly thereafter in the Duluth area.”
A copy of the criminal complaint obtained by St. Paul ABC affiliate KSTP provided additional information about the deadly confrontation. According to the report, the teen spoke to detectives and identified Kaupa, who lived across the hall from his apartment, as his attacker.
The teen’s sister told investigators that she and the younger victim were asleep in their apartment when they heard the sound of a power tool being used in the hallway of the building, the Pioneer Press reported. She said they woke up the 44-year-old man who, along with the teenage male, went out into the hallway. A short while later, the teen came back inside covered in blood and called 911.
Witnesses said they initially believed Kaupa was still in his apartment, but he had allegedly used a rope to climb down to the ground from his balcony.
While investigators were still at the scene, a rideshare driver approached and notified them she had just picked up a “suspicious” man near the apartment complex and dropped him off at his parents’ home in St. Paul. She reportedly said that when she picked him up, the man, later identified as Kaupa, was lying in the snow despite not being dressed for the frigid temperatures.
During the drive, Kaupa made comments to the driver about being in a fight with someone before asking her to charge his phone, MN Crime reported. He also apologized for the state of his device, allegedly telling the driver it was covered in “fish guts.” The driver was so disturbed by the encounter that she returned to the area where she had picked him up to search for police.
MN Crime reported that the deceased victim was the father of the teenage victim.
Kaupa was spotted the next day driving his parents’ Mercedes and attempted to flee on foot from a traffic stop. He was apprehended following a brief chase.
The 44-year-old victim was reportedly a maintenance worker for the building. Kaupa’s father told police his son suffered from mental health issues and had recently mentioned that the maintenance worker had been inside his apartment, though it was not clear whether that was true.
Kaupa was formally charged with murder and attempted murder on Jan. 10. He is currently being held in custody at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center and made his first court appearance on Monday.
