MINNEAPOLIS — A Hennepin County grand jury has indicted a Champlin man on multiple charges in the March 2022 death of his wife.
According to court documents, James Nyonteh, 45, now faces charges of 1st-degree premeditated murder, 1st-degree murder while committing domestic abuse, 2nd-degree murder and an additional charge of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.
A news release from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office alleges Nyonteh "brutally murdered his wife in a domestic-violence related homicide" following a past pattern of domestic abuse.
“Intimate partner violence is a pervasive crisis in our communities that requires a strong multifaceted response, including aggressive prosecution of those who inflict devastation on families and our community,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “This is a horrific case and we will seek the maximum sentence possible.”
Prosecutors also announced plans to seek an aggravated sentence against Nyonteh if he's convicted.
"The victim in this case was treated with particular cruelty and was left in the front yard of a relative's home where she had been living with her children and extended family, many of whom were inside the home at the time," the county attorney's office said in its news release.
Nyonteh is being held in the Hennepin County jail on $2 million bail.
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