World News – USA – Jan Pigman-Kruse’s death: mother shot in bed in the chest

Janette Pigman-Kruse, 40, died on 19. August 2015 when she was shot dead at her home in Brewster, Minnesota, a small town northeast of Worthington. Her husband, Christopher Kruse, called 911 early in the morning to report that an intruder had broken into her home and shot his wife while they were sleeping.

While officials told residents of the small town of Brewster they did not believe there was a threat to the public, no arrests were made or suspects named for over three years. Almost four years later, Pigman-Kruse’s husband was indicted and charged with premeditated murder of his wife, The Globe reported.

The indictment was not made public, and it wasn’t until Kruse stood on trial in early 2020 that citizens were made aware of the evidence found against him.

According to a news article from the period, the Nobles County Sheriff’s Office said Pigman-Kruse’s husband called 911 and his wife had been shot. He told the 911 driver that someone had come in through the back door and shot Pigman-Kruse in the chest while he was sleeping. He said he woke up when he heard the bang and found her shot on the bed but couldn’t identify the intruder.

Your daughter was at home when Pigman-Kruse was killed, and she told law enforcement that she heard two gunshots around 2:30 a.m.. m. , Reported The Globe. Kruse called 911 at 2:39 a.m.. m. Prosecutors said during his murder trial but were not in the same room as the victim or his daughter.

According to Pigman-Kruse’s autopsy report discussed during the trial, the 40-year-old mother had no wounds that indicated a physical struggle, but she was most likely awake when she was shot in the chest and killed, The reported Globe.

On 15. In March 2019, after years of no update of the investigation, Kruse was charged by a large jury with premeditated first-degree murder of his wife, Nobles County Attorney Kathleen Kusz told the Bismarck Tribune. Kruse was then arrested by the sheriff’s office. During Kruse’s trial, details of the investigation were released to reveal why he was charged with murder.

According to The Globe, two 12-gauge shotgun shells were found at the scene that matched Kruse’s shotgun, which was later found in Brewster. Kruse also admitted not helping his wife in her final moments after she was shot, Nobles County’s assistant attorney testified. Despite Kruse’s claims that the shooting was carried out by an intruder, the Minnesota man made no attempts to increase security at his home in the days that followed, prosecutors said.

According to her obituary, Pigman-Kruse married on Jan.. October 1995 her husband, and her “greatest joy was being with her husband and children. She received an associate degree from Worthington Community College and worked at Ridley Block Operations, but spent most of her time watching various sporting events for [her children]. . She loved quilting, traveling, gardening, and hanging out with friends. Her three dogs, Hog, Gator and Zippy, had a special place in Jan’s house. ”

After a 12-hour consultation by the jury, Kruse was awarded the. Found not guilty of first or second degree murder of his wife in February 2020. Her homicide investigation has since been suspended, Heavy learned, because there were no other leads or suspects.

Dateline NBC, Minnesota, Brewster