Mendota Heights murder suspect arrested in north metro

DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. (KMSP) - The Dakota County sheriff's office confirms they have apprehended Lucifer Nguyen, the suspect wanted in connection with a killing in Mendota Heights over the weekend.

Nguyen was taken into custody Monday night around 11:30 p.m. in the north metro. The details of the arrested are still unclear. Nguyen made his initial appearance in Dakota County court Tuesday morning, with bail set at $1.5 million without conditions and $1 million with conditions. His next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 14.

Nguyen is facing charges of second degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, burglary and kidnapping.

Earlier Monday, police confirmed they recovered the car of Beverly Cory, the woman killed on Saturday in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Her car was found at the Washington County fairgrounds in Lake Elmo.

This all started Saturday morning when police were dispatched to a residence in Mendota Heights on a report of a home invasion involving a man with a gun. When officers interviewed the homeowner, they learned that a man came to the front door and asked if it was the "Miller" residence. When the homeowner said "no," the man got back in his "white sedan" and the homeowner noted a partial plate number.

Shortly after, the man returned to the home and entered the woman's bedroom where the homeowner was with her 2-year-old grandchild.

According to the criminal complaint, the man held out a checkbook he said he found in the woman's garden. He then pulled out his gun and demanded that the woman give him cash. After she gave him cash, the man took her wallet and left the house.

As he was leaving, the homeowner's daughter-in-law spotted the car, which she identified as a Toyota.

While responding to the report, officers spotted the suspect's vehicle and tried to stop him. Not long after they both pulled over, the suspect drove away at a "very high rate of speed."

The car subsequently crashed and landed in a pond. When officers arrived, the car was empty, but they found items that helped identify the suspect as Lucifer Vincent Nguyen.

While at the scene, a witness reported seeing a man run from the scene and pointed out which direction he ran.

Moments later, officers were dispatched to a senior care facility on a report that man armed with a gun forced his way inside. An employee said that when she told him he was not allowed in, he pulled out a gun, forced her into the laundry room and took her car keys.

As residents were being evacuated, officers received a report that there was "suspected blood seeping out from underneath a door of a suite located in a nearby office building."

Officers entered the building and found a woman dead inside. An autopsy determined she died from a single gunshot wound to her head.

During an interview, a witness said someone matching Nguyen's description approached him at his home around 11 a.m. and asked for a ride to a nearby casino. Officers also discovered that Nguyen bought a cell phone at the Walmart in Oak Park Heights around 1:30 p.m.