A woman who was with her boyfriend when he allegedly beheaded an Iron Range man along a northern Minnesota road pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday.
Kayleene D. Greniger, 23, of Grand Rapids, Minn., entered her plea in Itasca County District Court. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said, Greniger will be required to testify against her then-boyfriend Joseph C. Thoresen, 36, of Deer River, Minn.
Thoresen is charged with carrying out the June decapitation of 20-year-old David A. Haiman of Hibbing. Thoresen remains jailed on charges of first-degree murder and other counts. He had a court appearance scheduled for Thursday.
The prosecution said it anticipates that Greniger will be sentenced to a term ranging from 28 to 30 years.
“The sentencing agreement is consistent with the Minnesota sentencing guidelines and is subject to the approval of the court,” the county attorney’s office said in a statement announcing the deal. Greniger remains in custody until sentencing in December.
Messages were left Thursday with attorneys for both defendants seeking their reaction to the plea agreement.
Haiman was killed in an ambush along a northern Minnesota road, his body left in one spot in the woods, his head dumped elsewhere, according to charges against both defendants.
Greniger told authorities that Thoresen was upset when she revealed to him that Haiman had raped her in the couple’s apartment, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say the three were in Haiman’s car near the town of Ball Club, when they pulled over and the two men got out. Thoresen allegedly hit Haiman with a baseball bat, stabbed him in the torso and took a machete and beheaded his victim while Haiman was groaning on the ground.
The woman was in the car at the time of the killing and also hid the machete in the couple’s apartment, the charges say. She later revealed to authorities what happened and led them to Haiman’s torso and head, according to the charges.
Haiman had gone to couple’s apartment earlier that day, when the woman and Thoresen both beat him and leveled the rape accusation, charges allege. The three left together and smoked marijuana and methamphetamine in the time leading up to the beheading, police say.
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