Former Rochester Man Charged With Murder of Pregnant Woman

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Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former Rochester man is one of the two people who have been charged with the murder of a pregnant woman in Minneapolis.

42-year-old Shannon Michael Benson and 27-year-old Jade Rissell are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Hennepin County Court on charges that include second-degree murder and the death of an unborn child. It's alleged the couple was responsible for killing a pregnant woman who was found dead in a camper trailer that was found on fire along Hennepin Avenue near Lake Bde Maka Ska on November 8th.

The criminal complaint, which does not identify a motive, alleges Rissell used Facebook conversations to lure the victim to visit them in the camper. The court documents Rissell admitted she assaulted the pregnant woman with brass knuckles and then left her unconscious in the trailer and Benson was aware of what had happened. Rissell then told investigators she waited a few days before moving the camper to the Hennepin Avenue location and starting it on fire.

The complaint says an accelerant was found on a mattress and the victim's body inside the burned-up camper. The victim, who was 7-months pregnant, has been identified but her name has not been released.

Court records show Benson has had a long list of criminal infractions. Most have involved traffic offenses, but he was convicted of multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct while he was living in Rochester in the late 1990s.