BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — It was exactly a year ago when Laura Jensen's daughter was nearly run over by the same neighbor in jail on suspicion of running over and killing 65-year-old Paul Pfeifer.
“Assaulted and stole my daughter's car, and in the process, he almost ran her over during one of his mental health breakdowns,” Jensen said.
“Paul should be alive. This never should have happened,” she added.
Court records show the man was ruled not mentally competent to stand trial in last year’s aggravated robbery case. KARE 11 isn't naming him, because he's not yet charged in the death of Pfeifer, but Brooklyn Park Police say that's expected Tuesday morning.
“Right now he's being held on homicide charges. And we will be looking to charge him with homicide,” said Chief Deputy Mark Bruley of the Brooklyn Park Police Department.
Police say after hitting Pfeifer, the suspect parked the car outside a block away and went inside his house.
Pfeifer is a married, gay man, and many people believed this incident was a hate crime.
“But we have no indication that our suspect even knew that he was gay. Quite honestly, what we do know is there are deep mental health issues with this individual, and that is much more likely to be the cause of why this incident occurred,” Bruley said.
A search warrant affidavit says when police found the suspect, he was "mumbling to himself, seemed incoherent and seemed generally out of it."
Court records show the suspect was civilly committed by a judge at least three times last year, the judge writing if he's "not involuntarily committed, he would likely attempt to physically harm himself or others."
One day before Pfeifer was killed, a neighbor called police and reported the suspect walking around with knives. A mental health supervisor signed a document to start the process to commit him once again.