Jealous ex beat woman, killed her new boyfriend in Mankato, charges say
Prosecutors allege a southern Minnesota man tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and fatally shot her new boyfriend on Sunday because he "could not handle" the couple's relationship.
Joseph Bulfer, 44, of Fairmont, Minnesota, is charged with second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, three counts of first-degree burglary and a firearms possession violation, a criminal complaint states.
A 911 caller in Mankato, Minnesota, reported hearing gunshots and other loud noises from a neighboring townhome around 1:30 p.m.
Responding officers encountered Bulfer in an upstairs hallway. He walked toward the officers with his hands up, telling them one victim was in the bathroom and another "is f***ing dead," the complaint states.
"I apologize for the inconvenience," Bulfer allegedly told the officers, later adding, "Didn't mean to get you out here today." Police arrested him and he remains in custody.
While officers were responding to the scene, a second person — the woman in the bathroom — also called 911. The complaint states the dispatcher overheard a man, later identified as Bulfer, tell the woman, "You just caused [a man] to die" and "Do you want me to pull the trigger?"
Officers found the woman in the bathroom, covered in blood. A man, later identified as her boyfriend, 52-year-old Joshua Downey, was found dead in a bedroom.
The 37-year-old woman later told police she and Bulfer briefly dated before she broke up with him in December. She then started dating Downey, and she told investigators Bulfer "could not handle that." Bulfer asked to speak with her on Sunday morning, but she said she had other plans.
According to the complaint, on Sunday afternoon, she and Downey were watching a movie at the townhome when "she heard the door open and someone running up the stairs." Bulfer allegedly then opened the bedroom door and shot Downey multiple times, then pointed the gun at himself and started yelling at the woman.
According to the complaint, Bulfer forced her into the bathtub "so he could drain her blood." She managed to call 911 while in the tub. Charges said Bulfer hit her multiple times, causing numerous injuries. Evidence shows he fired at least 20 times in the bedroom.
Bulfer has previous convictions for threats of violence, first-degree burglary and domestic assault by strangulation, charges said.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.