Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Rochester Police say the three suspects in the murder of a Rochester man were all relatives of an elderly woman who lived in a mobile home next to the victim.

Police Captain John Sherwin says investigators believe the three, 27-year-old Malcolm Woods, 34-year-old Kielah Parsons, and 20-year-old Damian Klindworth-Woods mistakenly believed 38-year-old Brandon Arndt had something to do with the medical emergency that put the elderly woman in the hospital with a life-threatening medical condition. The woman, who has since returned to her home, told Police that Arndt had come to her assistance that day and described him as a “helpful neighbor.”

The criminal charges against the three say they left St. Marys Hospital around 3 am on the morning of September 10th, which was about an hour before Arndt was fatally shot when he answered a knock on the door to his mobile home at Bob’s Trailer Park along Marion Road Southeast. A convenience store security camera video from the same morning shows Parsons purchasing plastic bags, which investigators believe were used by Woods to cover his feet and hands when he allegedly carried out the murder. It’s alleged Parsons was at the scene and Klindworth-Woods served as their driver.

Blue Earth County Jail photo
Blue Earth County Jail photo
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He remains jailed in Blue Earth County, where he was arrested in an unrelated case. Captain Sherwin says Parsons was apprehended last Thursday night following a traffic stop and Woods was arrested after he was spotted Friday morning walking on Valleyhigh Drive Northwest near Lourdes High School. He had a gun in his possession, but Sherwin says it was not the murder weapon.

Woods were arraigned this morning in Olmsted County Court on two counts each of second-degree murder. Bail for Woods was set at $2-million, while Parsons’ bail was set at $500,000. She is due back in court for an initial hearing on October 9th, while the next court hearing for Woods is the following day. It’s unclear when Klindworth-Woods will be transferred to Rochester for his arraignment.

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