Moorhead man charged with mother’s murder days after being jailed for threatening to kill her
(FOX 9) - Clay County prosecutors charged a 25-year-old man with the murder of his mother, which came days after he was released from jail for threatening her life.
The criminal complaint states Moorhead police officers responded to a call on Dec.1 for a woman who was found dead in her home on the 3800 block of 32nd Street South.
Officers entered the residence and found the 56-year-old woman lying in the foyer surrounded by blood. The preliminary autopsy indicates the cause of death was "multiple sharp force injuries," according to the Moorhead Police Department.
Investigators learned the woman’s son, 25-year-old James Diawo Kollie, was recently kicked out of their home after being arrested just days prior, on Nov.27, for allegedly threatening to kill her. Family members started arriving at the scene and told officers the woman's car was missing, and they believed Kollie was responsible for her death.
According to court documents, the mom and son got into an argument on Sunday, and she told officers while he did not physically assault her, he allegedly said to her that he was going to kill her and threatened to put his hands on her.
The daughter recorded part of the argument and played it for the officers. In one of the recordings, Kollie allegedly told his mother, "I’m ready to take your life.
"I was afraid," the mother told police, according to the complaint.
She explained to law enforcement that "he could kill somebody if he wanted to," the complaint reads. She told officers her son has a history of mental illness and wanted him to go to a hospital for mental health help, but he refused.
Law enforcement arrested Kollie after he refused to leave the home. He was charged with a misdemeanor domestic assault and released from jail on Nov. 29 on his own recognizance with conditions, including a protection order prohibiting contact with his mother.
On Dec. 2, Law enforcement arrested Kollie in Wahpeton, North Dakota, a small city just west of Fergus Falls, after tracking him via cellphone towers. Officers recovered the missing car on Dec. 7 on the property of a manufacturing company in Wahpeton, according to the department.
During an interview with law enforcement, Kollie "showed little emotion" when investigators told him his mother was found dead. Investigators said he showed "significant anger" at his mother for "getting him arrested and kicked out," of their home, according to the complaint.
Kollie did not ask the investigators how his mother died or the circumstances of her death during the interview, court documents state.
Kollie was charged via warrant with second-degree murder with intent. He is being held at Richland County Jail in North Dakota and is waiting to be transported to Clay County Jail, according to court documents.