Minnesota

Reward now $40K for suspect charged in lawyer’s slaying; police describe identifying quirks

The reward has been increased to $40,000 for information leading to the capture of a former romantic partner charged with second-degree murder in a Minnesota lawyer’s slaying. The Ramsey County sheriff’s office urges anyone who may have seen Lyle Marvin “Ty” Hoffman to phone 911, calling him armed and dangerous.…

Sep 10, 2014 2:15 PM CDT

Police say suspect in lawyer’s murder may have robbed bank; local airport is blocked during search

A man charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of a prominent Boston Scientific in-house lawyer may have resurfaced in a bank robbery over the weekend. Lyle Marvin “Ty” Hoffman seemingly vanished into thin air for weeks after Kelly Phillips was shot to death at a gas station outside Minneapolis…

Sep 2, 2014 10:47 AM CDT

New wanted poster offers $10K reward for man charged with murder of Boston Scientific chief counsel

More than a week after a chief counsel for Boston Scientific was shot to death at a gas station outside Minneapolis, authorities are stepping up efforts to find the missing suspect charged with murder in the case. Commercial developer Lyle “Ty” Hoffman, 44, is identified as a former boyfriend and…

Aug 21, 2014 5:40 PM CDT

Top lawyer for tech company is slain; ex-roommate who lost eviction case is sought as suspect

A Minnesota lawyer who served as chief counsel for Boston Scientific worldwide businesses and was known as a caring, involved member of his community was shot and run over at a gas station outside Minneapolis on Monday. A suspect being sought in connection with the slaying of Kelly L. Phillips,…

Aug 12, 2014 8:30 PM CDT

Jesse Ventura wins $1.8M in actual-malice defamation trial over best-selling memoir

Jesse Ventura said it wasn’t about the money, but he has nonetheless won what many would consider big bucks. After five days of deliberation, a federal jury in Minnesota on Tuesday awarded $1.8 million to the former state governor in a defamation case over a best-selling memoir by a former…

Jul 29, 2014 9:10 PM CDT

3 partners of well-known firm injured in car crash while attending annual meeting

Three partners of a well-known Minneapolis law firm were injured in a car crash over the weekend while they were in the Brainerd lakes area attending the Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi firm’s annual partner meeting. Thomas Kayser, 77; John Eisberg, 76, and Jan Conlin, 51, were sharing a ride…

Jul 28, 2014 7:00 PM CDT

Burglary suspect busted because he left his Facebook page open on victim’s computer, police say

A Minnesota man effectively updated his Facebook status to “busted” after he logged into his account while burglarizing a St. Paul home and left the page open, police say. Nicholas Steven Wig, 26, was charged with burglary and jailed after resident James Wood arrived home last week, found the place…

Jun 25, 2014 3:20 PM CDT

Attorney convicted of laundering proceeds from marijuana operation

A Minnesota attorney has been federally convicted for using his law firm to help launder money from a brother-in-law’s marijuana sales operation. Robert D. Boedigheimer, 51, was found guilty Tuesday by a Minneapolis jury of money laundering and making false statements to an Internal Revenue Service agent, according to the…

Jun 18, 2014 7:19 PM CDT

Fish & Richardson to make Minneapolis its administrative hub

Fish & Richardson is the latest law firm to announce a consolidation of its administrative functions in a single location as a cost-cutting move. The 400-attorney intellectual property specialist said Tuesday that it plans to make Minneapolis its administrative hub by March of 2015. “We know and really like this…

Jun 17, 2014 7:40 PM CDT

Student suspended for 7 weeks over 2-word tweet sues police and school officials

A onetime Minnesota high school honor student who ignited a firestorm by tweeting the answer “actually, yeah” in response to a question on an online confession page admittedly made a mistake. But so did police and school officials, says Reid Sagehorn, now an 18-year-old graduate of another high school, in…

Jun 17, 2014 5:00 PM CDT

Alibi exonerates ex-lawyer accused of setting his girlfriend on fire

Prosecutors have dropped the charges against a suspended Minnesota lawyer who made headlines after he was accused of setting his sleeping girlfriend on fire. Dakota County prosecutors dismissed the charges against David John Gherity, 61, after checking out his alibi, the Pioneer Press reports. Gherity had said he was working…

Jun 17, 2014 3:17 PM CDT

1st law in US requiring cellphones to have ‘kill switch’ is enacted in Minnesota

The first law in the country requiring cellphones and computerized tablets to come equipped with a so-called kill switch to deter theft was signed Wednesday by the governor of Minnesota. It takes effect in July of 2015, the Associated Press reports, but advocates of the new law hope it will…

May 14, 2014 7:15 PM CDT

DNA evidence leads to charges in 2009 rape and murder of 12-year-old girl

Chicago police have charged a Minnesota man with the 2009 rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl. Rene Valentin-Matos, 47, was linked to the crime through DNA evidence, the Chicago Tribune reports. Valentin-Matos is accused of raping and murdering Jahmeshia Conner, whose badly beaten body was found in an alley…

May 7, 2014 9:17 PM CDT

Minnesota judge orders shutdown of online voter registration system

A state court judge in St. Paul, Minnesota, ruled today that an online voter registration system launched by Minnesota’s secretary of state last September must cease operations by midnight Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Because it was done without permission from the legislature, Ramsey County District Court Judge John Guthmann…

Apr 28, 2014 9:00 PM CDT

Suspended lawyer faces criminal charges, is accused of setting girlfriend on fire

A Minnesota lawyer has been criminally charged for allegedly setting his girlfriend on fire as she slept on the couch at his Twin Cities condominium. David J. Gherity, 60, faces assault charges in Dakota County District Court and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, reports the Star-Tribune. His…

Apr 7, 2014 4:35 PM CDT