Suspect in Mankato Kwik Trip murder accused of stabbing victim 43 times
(FOX 9)
MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 28-year-old man is facing murder charges after a deadly stabbing at a Kwik Trip in Mankato that left a worker dead early Tuesday morning.
Michael Lee Miller was charged Wednesday in Blue Earth County Court with second-degree murder with intent in connection with the incident.
The charges
The backstory:
According to court documents, police responded to the Kwik Trip just after 3 a.m. and found broken glass near a back room. Officers located the victim, 34-year-old Dennis Vosika, unresponsive and surrounded by a large pool of blood. He had multiple lacerations matching knife wounds on his neck, head, back and leg. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities say Vosika sustained 43 sharp force injuries.
According to the complaint, a witness told police Miller entered the gas station store with a large knife, went to the refrigerator section, picked up some meat and started to eat it. He then got a water from the cooler. A witness told Miller he needed to pay for the items. Vosika then told the witness to call the police.
The complaint states Miller then goes behind the counter and confronts Vosika, throws him to the ground and stabs him multiple times.
What Miller told police
What they're saying:
The complaint states Miller was arrested at his home. When asked why he went to Kwik Trip, he told police, "Like god is telling me." He also told police he was hearing voices and that he needed to destroy and burn everything down. He said he walked from his house with a knife and lighter, and walked there and did it.
He told police, "I wasn’t gonna knife the guy at first. I was just gonna set it on fire, the place on fire." Miller said he threw the knife in a dumpster. He told police he helped himself to snacks and water and was asked if he was going to pay for it, which he said no. Miller then told police he went to the counter to get Vosika’s attention, Vosika tried to grab his knife and Miller wrestled it back from him before stabbing him multiple times.
What's next:
Miller faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.