Tsegaab Binessu faces three second-degree murder charges

A man allegedly “executed” three workers at his Minnesota apartment complex amidst a heated dispute over a $65 garage parking fee.

Three people were found dead with gunshot wounds in the leasing office of the Saint Paul complex just after 4 p.m. on Monday, July 20 after police responded to multiple callers reporting they heard gunshots and screams, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

Saint Paul police identified the victims as 56-year-old Dena Silcox, 43-year-old Adam Wilwerding and 25-year-old Nansi Fuentes Zambrano. Silcox and Wilwerding were found on the floor of the office while Fuentes Zambrano’s body was at the back of the office, apparently having been attempting to escape through a window.

On Tuesday, July 21, police announced they had arrested Tsegaab Binessu, 30, in Virginia, Minn., about 200 miles north of Saint Paul. He was allegedly driving Fuentes Zambrano’s vehicle at the time.

He now faces three second-degree murder charges, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges police received a call from a man who said his roommate, Binessu, had confessed to the shooting. The roommate allegedly told police he believed that Binessu was a trucker intent on joining the Navy; after selling his car, Binessu said he spoke with the complex’s management about canceling his $65 monthly parking fee but “he argued with apartment management and ended up killing three people.”

Apartment staffers told police they informed Binessu over the phone that he could not cancel the parking contract he had “recently renewed,” after which Binessu said he would come discuss the matter in person. At that point, police said he “executed” the trio.

Surveillance video allegedly showed Binessu in the leasing office firing six shots at Wilwerding, covering his ears in the process, then shooting Silcox six times before uttering “motherf—ing bitch.” The shooting of Fuentes Zambrano cannot be seen on the footage, but a woman’s screams and four additional shots can be heard, per the complaint.

After he was arrested, Binessu allegedly told police he had grown stressed with apartment management telling him he could not cancel the parking contract because of “the system,” according to the complaint. He allegedly admitted to then heading to the leasing office in person, but asked for an attorney before speaking of what he did there.

He also allegedly felt he was facing discrimination because he is Black and an immigrant, and spoke of his stress about being unable to bring his family over from Ethiopia. “Binessu said life without his family no longer made sense,” the complaint states.

He is being held on $10 million bond. It is not clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Silcox was remembered in a GoFundMe appeal as a “vibrant spirit” who “brought joy to everyone who knew her.” Fuentes Zambrano was remembered in a fundraiser as a “beloved daughter, sister, aunt to three wonderful children, and devoted girlfriend” who was “always giving her love and care beyond measure.”

A former tenant who had Wilwerding as a property manager described him on Facebook as “such a kind and caring person to us and all the residents.”

Source: https://people.com/man-accused-of-triple-murder-over-apartment-parking-fee-dispute-criminal-complaint-12024800