ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — A 78-year-old man is now charged with murder in connection with his niece's stabbing death inside his trailer home last fall.
The complaint filed in Douglas County on Monday accuses Angel Rua-Torres of second-degree murder after 60-year-old Desiree "Desi" Frederick was found with a fatal stab wound in his trailer the day after Thanksgiving in 2023.
Court documents said police were called to the Viking Lakes Village Mobile Home Park around 10 p.m. on Nov. 24, where they found Frederick on the kitchen floor, bleeding and receiving CPR from a neighbor. Emergency responders continued efforts to save Frederick's life, but she was ultimately pronounced dead by ambulance staff about an hour after they arrived.
Prosecutors said that when questioned, Rua-Torres told investigators that he owned the trailer and that Frederick was his niece. He claimed to have been sleeping when he was woken up by someone crying, and subsequently exited his room to see a man running from the trailer and leaving in a convertible.
When investigators questioned the neighbor who had been administering CPR on Frederick, he told them Rua-Torres came to his trailer and said someone had hurt his niece. The complaint said the man told police he went to the trailer to help render aid, and that he had not seen anyone leaving the area after the stabbing, as was reported by Rua-Torres.
The complaint went on to say Rua-Torres' story and details surrounding Frederick's death started to deviate after he was brought into the station for further questioning. Investigators said Rua-Torres told them via a Spanish interperator that he woke up to the sound of his niece fighting with another person. He then told police he tried to "get dressed quickly" in his bedroom before seeing someone in a "blue van" leaving the area.
In their subsequent investigation, agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that blood on the tip of a knife found in Rua-Torres' kitchen knife block contained DNA belonging to Frederick and the "major male DNA profile" found on the knife's handle matched that of Rua-Torres.
Prosecutors said Rua-Torres eventually admitted to lying about seeing a vehicle leaving the trailer after the stabbing, but insisted he had not killed his niece. Through additional witness testimony and surveillance video, however, investigators concluded there was reason to believe Rua-Torres had tried to clean up the blood in his kitchen before calling his neighbor for help and making up the story about the involvement of an unknown third party.
Frederick's autopsy revealed she died due to sharp force injury to the back. A motive for the stabbing still remains unclear.
At the time of her death, KARE 11's Lou Raguse spoke with friends of Frederick, who said they were stunned to learn she had been the victim of the fatal stabbing.
"It's awful. Honestly when I heard about it, I was like, 'Did you say the right name? Desiree? Are you sure it's her?'" said friend and former co-worker Nicole Caye.
Frederick was known around the community in Alexandria for her many years as a server at various restaurants. She was also a military veteran, grandmother and a die-hard Vikings fan.
If Rua-Torres is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: