A Minnesota man who allegedly confessed to the brutal bludgeoning death of a convicted sex offender has been charged with second-degree murder, say authorities.
According to court documents obtained by Mister Truth, Levi Axtell was “covered with blood” when he turned himself in to police in Grand Marais, Minn., on Wednesday.
It’s unclear if he has entered a plea to the charge. Axtell’s defense attorney, Dennis Shaw, was not immediately available for comment.
Authorities say Axtell, 27, allegedly arrived at the police station and admitted to driving to the home of a 77-year-old man, entering the victim’s residence, and hitting him over the head “15-20 times with a spade-style shovel” that he allegedly found on his front porch.
Axtell allegedly said he “finished him off” by striking him on the head several times with a large moose antler, the documents state.
While the documents referred to the victim as “LVS,” the Star-Tribune identified him as Lawrence V. Scully.
Citing Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen, the outlet reports Scully was convicted of the sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl in 1979. In 1982, he was released from prison.
Court documents state Axtell believed Scully had “sexually offended children in the past” and observed him “parked in his vehicle at locations where children were present and believed he would reoffend.”
According to the press, Axtell is the nephew of former St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell.
“I love my nephew and my entire family, a family that has been deeply impacted by this heartbreaking incident,” Todd Axtell told the paper. “I’m also thinking about the amazing Grand Marais community during this difficult time. I have always believed in, and supported, the criminal justice system — a system that will now do what it’s designed to do.”
Axtell remains jailed on $1 million bond.
He will reappear in court April 10.