MINNETONKA, Minn. — The son of a man found dead in a Minnetonka home early Wednesday is now facing murder charges in connection with his father's death.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged 39-year-old Jacob Schech, of Minnetonka, with second-degree murder after responding officers discovered his father, Frederick Schech, 72, lifeless in the kitchen of the home.
According to charging documents, police went to the home on the 5000 block of Holiday Road on July 19 in the early morning hours after a resident of the home's lower level reported an unresponsive man. When officers arrived, they encountered both the woman who called and the younger Schech, who they claim was wearing only gym shorts and whose hands and right foot appeared to have blood on them.
As officers made their way to the kitchen, they said they found the elder Schech lying on the floor, already dead from apparent traumatic injuries to his face, head and neck. Officers at the scene told investigators they also located a knife in the kitchen sink that appeared covered in blood.
When the 911 caller was later questioned by police, she reportedly told them she had seen the two men earlier that evening, with Jacob Schech allegedly drinking and giving his father "a hard time" while Frederick worked on their pool. The woman then told investigators she went to bed around 8:30 and reported hearing a "loud crash" on the upper level of the home, and what sounded like someone stomping.
Court documents say Frederick's wife called the woman several times, asking if she had heard from either Frederick or Jacob because they "weren't answering their phones."
At 1 a.m., according to prosecutors, the woman said she was woken up by the family dog, which she let outside before going to the home's upper level and finding Jacob asleep on the couch. She allegedly asked Jacob where his father was and shortly after, found Frederick's body on the kitchen floor.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman asked Jacob Schech what happened, to which he allegedly replied, "He needed to die." In a subsequent interview, the witness allegedly told investigators that Jacob told her, "I was going to give him crab legs, and then you know he just needs to die. And mom knows he needs to die, and I would have just let mom handle it."
Jacob was then arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody.
After performing an autopsy, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined Frederick's official cause of death was the result of blunt force injuries, including fractures to his skull, face, neck and ribs. He also suffered cuts to his head and neck.
Jacob Schech is being held at the Hennepin County Jail on a $1 million bond. If convicted, he could spend up to 40 years in prison.
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