HASTINGS, Minn. — A Burnsville woman is accused of fatally shooting a 70-year-old man in the head following an argument and then attempting to hide his body in a shed in Minneapolis.
Dakota County prosecutors charged Josephine Ann Powers, 25, with second-degree intentional murder in connection with the death of Michael Robert Riccio on July 9.
Powers reported the case on July 18 and told investigators Riccio was shot and killed by a man in her home. Powell also told police that another man helped move the body from the Burnsville home to a property in Minneapolis.
A witness later told investigators that Riccio was allegedly shot by Powers following an argument at Powers' Burnsville home. At this point, it is unclear what the argument was about.
According to the criminal complaint, Powers asked a man "to move a package from her home in exchange for a pickup truck." The man agreed to help and after arriving at the home saw blood downstairs and what he believed to be a body wrapped in garbage bags and rugs. He then placed it in the back of the pickup and took it to a shed in Minneapolis where he kept his belongings.
A search warrant was executed in Minneapolis on July 19 and officers found what appeared to be human remains in a large grey container in the shed. An autopsy was conducted and the remains were identified as Riccio's.
Officials said the cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was determined as a homicide.
Bail was set for $1 million without conditions for Powers. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 1 at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings.
