GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Jacob Johnson, one of three people convicted in the murder and dismemberment of Ricky Balsimo, was sentenced to 40 years in prison — the statutory maximum — Monday in Cook County.
Johnson, 37, was sentenced after being convicted last month on two charges of second-degree murder in connection to the 2021 murder of Balsimo.
“I am pleased to see the Court hold Jacob Johnson fully accountable for the severity and cruelty of the crime he committed," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a press release. "My thoughts continue to be with Mr. Balsimo’s family and loved ones. Not even the maximum penalty under law can bring Ricky Balsimo back to them, but I hope this sentence brings them some measure of accountability."
Back in August, a jury determined that Johnson shot and killed Balsimo on June 20, 2021, while riding in a vehicle together in the Twin Cities. After the shooting, prosecutors said Johnson drove two hours north to Duluth with Balsimo's body in his car, later enlisting the help of another man, Robert West, to hide and dismember him. The attorney general's office said the men placed Balsimo's body parts in buckets and a tote bag before West took them to Grand Portage and dumped them into Lake Superior.
West was also convicted for his role in Balsimo's death — on one count of being an accessory after the fact to murder and one count of interference with a dead body — in February.
The third defendant, Tommi Hintz, pleaded guilty to aiding an offender after the fact. In the days following Balsimo's murder, Hintz told investigators she overheard West tell a fisherman he had some of his grandmother's valuables he wanted to dump in Lake Superior. The next day, she said she heard West say that a man had shot Balsimo and his body had been chopped up.
West was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison while Hintz was given five years' probation.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
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.
