Minneapolis man pleads guilty in hair salon bombing
Michael Francisco (Supplied)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Just months after his arrest, a Minneapolis man pled guilty to bombing a hair salon in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood back in 2022.
What happened?
In November 2022, Studio 411, which is located on Cedar Lake Road South near Penn Avenue South in Minneapolis, was damaged when an explosive device was placed on the salon's window and set off.
Authorities said the bombing caused significant damage to the salon. About a year later, in November 2023, a vandal threw a rock through the salon's window.
Who is the suspect?
Michael Allen Francisco, 59, was identified as a suspect after the November 2023 vandalism.
Investigators pulled a DNA signature from the rock that matched Francisco.
Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to a count of malicious use of explosive materials to damage and destroy by means of fire and explosives.
The device found in the F-150. (Supplied)
A third incident?
Between the 2022 bombing and the 2023 vandalism, authorities say police encountered Francisco during a third incident.
In March 2023, Francisco was spotted by officers trespassing at an abandoned lumber yard. When officers told him to leave, he walked away on foot.
Later, officers spotted an abandoned Ford F-150 running in the lumber yard. Inside the truck, they found an explosive device that was similar to the one used at Salon 411.
But, it's unclear if police, at the time, were able to make the connection between the device and the salon bombing.
A search of his home
In March 2024, after being connected to the bombing, federal investigators searched Francisco's home and found explosive components, a firearm, meth, and a jacket that matched what the vandal wore during the November 2023 incident.
During questioning, Francisco confessed to both the bombing and the vandalism.