St. Paul man charged with killing girlfriend's estranged husband
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A St. Paul man is accused of killing his girlfriend's estranged husband nearly a year after the husband allegedly shot the boyfriend in both legs.
The 32-year-old man is charged with second-degree murder, according to court documents filed in Ramsey County Wednesday.
The criminal complaint states the boyfriend was shot while outside working on a car on the 800 block of York Avenue on Aug. 29, 2023. The boyfriend said he did not know who shot him, but the girlfriend told police her estranged husband shot him "out of jealousy."
The husband was not charged for that shooting "because the case could not be proved against him beyond a reasonable doubt," the complaint said.
On Monday, about 10 months after that shooting, police responded to the same address to find the husband shot in the chest. He died at the scene. The Ramsey County medical examiner identified the victim as 35-year-old Jonathon Diaz of St. Paul.
Witnesses identified the boyfriend as the shooter and said he fled on a bike, the complaint said.
Officers found spent casings and a 9mm handgun in the garage.
The girlfriend and her daughter were in the kitchen of the home when the shooting happened and ran out when they heard gunshots, the complaint states.
The girlfriend's daughter and son both said they saw the boyfriend at the scene of the shooting.
"I told you I was going to kill him," the boyfriend allegedly said.
The girlfriend later told police she and Diaz had been separated for four years, and she has been with her boyfriend for three years. She said the two men did not get along, and that on the day of the killing, the boyfriend was upset because Diaz had driven by the house to see his child.
Police arrested the boyfriend on Tuesday and he remains in custody.
The shooting marked St. Paul's 13th homicide of the year.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
