Background: The home in Cass Lake, Minn., where Codi Brown was found stabbed to death (Google Maps). Inset: Avery Cadwell (Beltrami County Sheriff”s Office).
On October 24, Avery Cadwell, 21, confessed to second-degree murder charges related to the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old Codi Brown. According to court documents reviewed by KARE, an NBC affiliate, the confrontation occurred on June 15 as Brown was navigating his ATV along Porcupine Road in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Cadwell, who had reportedly vowed to a witness that he intended to confront Brown, chased him on foot before inflicting a deadly stab wound to his chest.
Reports indicate that Cadwell’s anger stemmed from his belief that Brown owed him $100.
After being stabbed, Brown managed to continue driving his ATV for a short distance before collapsing. Responding to the scene around 9:30 p.m., deputies from the Beltrami Sheriff’s Office discovered Brown on the ground near his overturned ATV. Despite their efforts, Brown was unresponsive and without a pulse upon their arrival. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses were able to identify Cadwell by his first name, prompting deputies to launch a search using drones and K9 units. Eventually, Cadwell emerged from a wooded area where he had sought refuge and returned to his home. It was there that deputies apprehended him, charging him with the murder of Codi Brown.
Witnesses had identified Cadwell by his first name, and deputies began searching for him with a drone and K9 units. Police said after Cadwell emerged from the woods where he had fled, he went back to his home, where deputies arrested him and charged him with Brown’s murder.
According to the court documents, Cadwell told police that he regretted bringing a knife with him when he went to confront Brown over the money. He also said that he believed he had only hurt Brown, not killed him.
Cadwell had faced a 40-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. After his plea, a judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
