St. Paul Man Dies 7 Days After Assault, Marking City's 38th Homicide Of The Year

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- An investigation is underway after a man was found dead in his St. Paul apartment Monday, seven days after he was assaulted in the building. The death marks the 38th homicide in the capital city this year.

The St. Paul Police Department says that 51-year-old Carlos Venceslado Rocha called police to his Snelling Avenue apartment in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood last week to report he'd been punched by someone in his building. At the time, officers took a report and medics checked him out, but Rocha was not hospitalized.

On Monday, firefighters conducting a welfare check found Rocha dead in his apartment. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and determined that Rocha died due to injuries suffered in the assault.

Investigators are working to figure out who punched Rocha. Police do not believe it was a random attack. So far, no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to call 651-266-5650.

St. Paul has seen a record number of homicides in 2021. Just this week, two other people were killed. One man was fatally shot Tuesday night in the Frogtown neighborhood. On Monday night, another shooting in the North End neighborhood left a man dead.