Alexandria man, 78, arrested for fatally stabbing woman
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Police in Alexandria arrested a 78-year-old man Monday for his alleged role in a fatal stabbing last November.
Angel Rua-Torres was charged with one count of felony murder in the second degree for the stabbing death of 58-year-old Desiree Frederick.
Officers were called to a residence on the 1600 block of Sixth Avenue East around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2023, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
They found Frederick unresponsive inside, and she was soon pronounced dead after life-saving measures proved unsuccessful.
Police say the murder occurred inside Rua-Torres' trailer. He identified Frederick as his niece.
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Rua-Torres allegedly told police that he had been sleeping in his room when he heard crying. When he came out of his room, he says he saw a man run out of the trailer and drive away in a convertible.
A witness told police that Rua-Torres had come to his trailer, telling him someone hurt his niece. The witness went to Rua-Torres' residence and began to perform CPR on Frederick while calling 911. He said he did not see anyone in the area or leaving the area.
As police continued to converse with Rua-Torres, they say his story began to deviate. He eventually gave a statement to police saying he awoke to his niece fighting with another person and saying bad words. He claimed that he then saw a small blue van leaving the area as he tried to get dressed.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video in the area and report they were unable to find anything consistent with Rua-Torres' stories.
A knife with the victim's blood on it was collected from Rua-Torres' trailer following the incident. The handle had DNA matching that of Rua-Torres.
