Recent high profile murders around the lake
Four recent murders prove even out here, we are not immune to violent crime
After a nice long and relaxing holiday weekend, here I come like a bull in a china shop bringing a dark cloud to rain on everybody’s good and relaxed mood.
Here are four reminders to stay vigilant, be aware of your surroundings, and if you notice something not quite right, get involved, you may save someone’s life.
Cheers! 😁
In November 2013, Dr. Stephen Larson, a respected OB-GYN from Orono, was killed in his home. The suspect was 30-year-old Ted Hoffstrom who was fatally shot by police outside the residence. Authorities later revealed that Hoffstrom had expressed longstanding hostility toward Dr. Larson, stemming from his belief that the doctor had mistreated his mother during a medical procedure.
Dr. Larson, 74 at the time, had delivered Hoffstrom as a premature infant three decades earlier. Hoffstrom, who had recently graduated from law school, confronted police outside the home with a handgun. Despite efforts to negotiate, Hoffstrom was shot and killed by officers. Inside, Dr. Larson was found deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
In September of 2015, the Short family—Brian, Karen, and their three children, Cole, Madison, and Brooklyn—were found dead in their Greenwood home. Authorities determined that Brian Short fatally shot his wife and children before taking his own life. The incident was ruled a murder-suicide, with all victims dying from gunshot wounds.
This next one caught me off guard as my dad and I both knew Irwin Jacobs, a prominent Minnesota businessman known for his aggressive corporate strategies in the 1980s, and his wife, Alexandra, were found dead in their Orono home on April 10, 2019. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed that Alexandra's death was ruled a homicide, while Irwin's was a suicide.
Referred to as "Irv the Liquidator," Jacobs was recognized for his role in corporate restructuring and his involvement in various business ventures, including a minority stake in the Vikings. Alexandra Jacobs was an accomplished artist and philanthropist, known for her support of the Minnetonka Center for the Arts.
A home health nurse discovered the couple's bodies in their bed, with a handgun found nearby. The police investigation revealed that Irwin Jacobs had left letters to his children and others, which were recovered.
Reports indicated that “The Liquidator” was facing significant financial difficulties at the time of his death, with debts exceeding $110 million. These financial strains could possibly have contributed to the event.
I personally believe it was a mercy killing and suicide. Alexandra was suffering with some pretty significant health problems due to a fall from a horse years before.
The death of 6-year-old Eli Hart in 2022 is among the most notable recent cases in the area. His murder, committed by his mother Julissa Thaler, shocked Westonka and led to significant legal and social repercussions.
This one still bothers me. How can a mother brutally murder her own 6 year old innocent child? This should have been a death penalty case, but alas, in weak on crime states led by blue, weak on crime politicians that have a very different, rainbows and unicorns view of justice, we have no capital punishment in Minnesota.
On May 20, 2022, Julissa Thaler was stopped by Orono police for a traffic violation.
It just so happened I was driving by that traffic stop. Cell phone camera’s are pretty handy, you never know what the photo might lead to.
I had many media outlets and networks from Los Angeles to New York to London and Australia asking for permission to use this photo.
During the stop, officers discovered blood on her hand, a shotgun shell, and a spent casing inside the vehicle. Upon searching the trunk, they found Eli’s body, having been fatally shot nine times. Thaler was charged with second-degree murder, and later indicted on first-degree murder charges. In February 2023, she was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As I stated before, stay vigilant and be aware of your surroundings, even out here at the lake, evil exists.
About 10 years ago, when I learned about the circumstances of my birth, I could have done bodily harm to Mom’s OB/GYN. I was born two weeks early because the arrogant a§§hole didn’t want to be bothered to send Mom back home and wait for real labor. I was dragged out ass-first, damaging my foreskin in the process. His solution was to circumcise me, which would not have happened otherwise. He also dislocated my hip, for which I had to be put on a special saddle, both of which were charged to my parents. I was lucky that he was already deceased.