A Minnesota man has been charged with murder in the death of a former girlfriend with whom he had a child custody dispute.
According to a criminal complaint, Melissa Hunt, a 36-year-old mother of two daughters, arrived with facial injuries, including missing teeth, at a driveway in Kellog as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune. Deputies from Wabasha County responded to the scene, where she claimed that Craig Hameister, 44, had attacked her with a stick at a nearby boat launch.
Emergency responders took her to a hospital, where she died a few hours later.
The authorities initiated a search for Hameister and found his truck in Chatfield but discovered no signs of a crime at the boat launch except for an unspent 9mm round, likely due to heavy rainfall. However, they located a live 9mm round on the floorboard of his truck.
As per KSTP, a witness informed the police that Hameister had arrived earlier, displaying signs of distress. He allegedly informed residents that “something bad happened” before abandoning his truck and departing on a motorcycle.
Police later found Hameister at a trailer park in Olmsted County, where he climbed a tree to escape police and engaged in an hours-long standoff from the tree before he was taken into custody.
Investigators found a 9mm handgun at the base of the tree.
Hunt’s autopsy later revealed that the significant injuries to Hunt’s face had gunshot residue embedded in it, the Star Tribune said.
According to court records, Hameister was ordered to pay Hunt $645 per month in child support and nearly $3,000 in past due child support.
Hameister has been charged with two counts of second degree murder and one count of manslaughter. He’s being held on a $2 million bond, Law&Crime reported.
