MINNEAPOLIS, MN – A 37-year-old Minnesota woman was found guilty this past February for the murder of two of her children back in 2024, with prosecutors proving how she attacked her young children with a knife before setting the home ablaze.
On February 26th, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, issued a press release announcing the conviction of 37-year-old Jennifer Marie Stately for the double murder of two of her children as well as a conviction of arson.
According to officials, Stately was at her home in the Red Lake Nation reservation on March 15th, 2024, when she attacked her 5 and 6-year-old sons, Tristan and Remi, with a knife. Remi, the elder of the two, succumbed to the stab wounds while Tristan remained conscious, only to later die by smoke inhalation after Stately set her home on fire.
ATF investigators learned that Stately had strategically used gasoline and lighter fluid to set three separate fires in the home, two of which were both exit points of the residence. Stately reportedly fled the scene with her surviving 3-year-old son, who also was apparently “covered in wounds” and “suffering from visible signs of child neglect,” authorities reported in May 2024 after her arrest.
The woman was reportedly apprehended roughly 150 miles south of her Red Lake Nation home in Todd County shortly after the murders and arson were carried out.
After a trial spanning two-and-half weeks this past February, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts Stately was charged with which included two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of murder in the course of committing child abuse, one count of murder in the course of committing arson, and one count of arson.
While at trial, Stately reportedly attempted to claim insanity as a defense, which the jury promptly rejected. News outlet Star Tribune reported that Stately also claimed at trial that she thought her home was “demonized” and believed her young children had “threatened to kill her.”
Director of Red Lake Department of Public Safety Kendall Kingbird Sr. issued a statement in the wake of the guilty verdict, commending the assistance from their law enforcement partners in the FBI as well as the numerous state and local authorities who assisted during the investigation and subsequent trial.
“Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of the victims. No verdict can undo the pain of their loss, but we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure,” Director Kingbird added.
A sentencing date has yet to be announced in the case but given the gravity of the offenses Stately was convicted of, it’s likely she’ll be spending the remainder of her life in prison.
On February 26th, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, issued a press release announcing the conviction of 37-year-old Jennifer Marie Stately for the double murder of two of her children as well as a conviction of arson.
According to officials, Stately was at her home in the Red Lake Nation reservation on March 15th, 2024, when she attacked her 5 and 6-year-old sons, Tristan and Remi, with a knife. Remi, the elder of the two, succumbed to the stab wounds while Tristan remained conscious, only to later die by smoke inhalation after Stately set her home on fire.
ATF investigators learned that Stately had strategically used gasoline and lighter fluid to set three separate fires in the home, two of which were both exit points of the residence. Stately reportedly fled the scene with her surviving 3-year-old son, who also was apparently “covered in wounds” and “suffering from visible signs of child neglect,” authorities reported in May 2024 after her arrest.
The woman was reportedly apprehended roughly 150 miles south of her Red Lake Nation home in Todd County shortly after the murders and arson were carried out.
After a trial spanning two-and-half weeks this past February, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts Stately was charged with which included two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of murder in the course of committing child abuse, one count of murder in the course of committing arson, and one count of arson.
While at trial, Stately reportedly attempted to claim insanity as a defense, which the jury promptly rejected. News outlet Star Tribune reported that Stately also claimed at trial that she thought her home was “demonized” and believed her young children had “threatened to kill her.”
Director of Red Lake Department of Public Safety Kendall Kingbird Sr. issued a statement in the wake of the guilty verdict, commending the assistance from their law enforcement partners in the FBI as well as the numerous state and local authorities who assisted during the investigation and subsequent trial.
“Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of the victims. No verdict can undo the pain of their loss, but we hope this outcome provides some sense of closure,” Director Kingbird added.
A sentencing date has yet to be announced in the case but given the gravity of the offenses Stately was convicted of, it’s likely she’ll be spending the remainder of her life in prison.
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