Girlfriend charged as accomplice in Iron Range man's decapitation
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (KMSP) - A 22-year-old Grand Rapids, Minn. woman is being charged as an accomplice in the murder of her alleged rapist, who was decapitated by her boyfriend earlier this month.
35-year-old Joseph Thoresen is charged with second degree murder for killing and decapitating 20-year-old David Haiman on June 21.
READ THE STORY – Charges: Minnesota man decapitated man accused of raping girlfriend
When police arrested Thoresen at his apartment on June 26, they found his girlfriend sleeping in the bedroom. She admitted to being a witness to the murder and identified the location of the killing in Itasca County, which led investigators to find Haiman’s head and torso in the woods.
According to the criminal complaint, on the day of the murder, Thoresen’s girlfriend told him Haiman had sexually assaulted her. When Haiman arrived at their apartment, the couple confronted him about the sexual assault and he agreed to let them tie him up and beat him.
The two beat Haiman, breaking his nose and punching him in the gut. Afterwards, the three of them got in Haiman’s car and drove to Deer River and Ball Club to smoke marijuana and meth.
While driving back, Haiman and Thoresen got into an argument. The girlfriend told police there was “car trouble” and when the Haiman got out of the car to check under the hood, Thoresen attacked him.
A friend of Thoresen and his girlfriend told police the couple came to his house and left the murder weapons with him at his apartment. The girlfriend told police her fingerprints would be on the knife used to decapitated Haiman because she moved it.
Thoresen’s girlfriend is being charged as an accomplice after the fact to second degree murder, as well as with third degree assault.