Burnsville man accused of fatally stabbing children's mother previously charged with domestic assault
A 48-year-old Burnsville man has been accused of fatally stabbing his children's mother, according to a criminal complaint filed in court on Friday.
Jason Philip Filas is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing that left 32-year-old Danielle Grace Warren dead.
Charges say Burnsville police officers responded to a residence on the 2000 block of 117th Street East around 9:35 a.m. Wednesday for a report of domestic violence. The person who called 911 said the father of Warren's children was in the area and "freaking out."
Responding officers saw Warren near a couch through a window of the home. Charges say there was a large amount of blood by her, and she appeared to be unresponsive. Police also found blood on the handle of the front door.
Officers made forced entry into the home and saw that Warren appeared to be stabbed and slashed multiple times on her face, neck and chest, according to the criminal complaint. A 12-inch kitchen knife with blood on it was found in a hallway.
Warren died at the scene, charges say. Two of Warren's children, who are 5 months and 9 months old, were in the home at the time of the incident.
The 911 caller told police that Warren called them because she was scared Filas was remotely monitoring a security camera at her house, and that he saw another man leave the home the morning of the incident. Charges say Warren wanted to go with her children to the caller's house.
Warren called the 911 caller shortly after their original call and pretended she was talking to police because Filas was in the house with her. During the call, according to charges, she screamed, "He has a knife! Call 911! Call 911!"
The call disconnected shortly after.
After calling 911, the woman contacted Warren to check on her. Charges say Filas answered the phone and told them, "She should have never cheated on me. You better call 911."
The 911 caller told police Filas had been angry with Warren, and followed her to a store because he believed she was cheating on him.
Filas was taken into custody in Lakeville around 10 a.m., after police spotted a vehicle registered to him traveling at a high speed.
A judge has set his bail at $2 million. Filas' next court hearing is scheduled for May 27.
Court records show Filas was charged with domestic assault in March in connection with an incident involving him and Warren. A person on the phone with Warren during that incident told police she could hear Warren crying and Filas yelling in the background. Warren could be heard saying, "Please let go," during that call.
Last month, Filas pleaded guilty to violating a judge's domestic abuse no-contact order filed by Warren. Court documents show police found her and Filas in the same vehicle during a traffic stop. The order was dismissed by the court on April 23.
Advocate against domestic abuse calls for change
The Twin Cities nonprofit 360 Communities, which aims to serve and protect victims of domestic violence, released a statement regarding Wednesday's incident, which said in part:
"Our hearts are with Danielle's friends and family as they mourn this loss and navigate the next steps. We also recognize the impacts of this devastating loss that reach beyond the family to friends, teachers, colleagues, professionals, and our neighbors across Dakota County. Our thoughts are with you all."
Ann Averill with 360 Communities says the incident has been difficult to hear about.
"These domestic violence homicides are happening more frequently than we've seen," Averill said.
Last week in St. Paul, a 34-year-old man was charged with murder in the stabbing of the mother of his child.
"When you look at the research, when people are trying to leave - that's the most dangerous time. After reading the complaint in this case, that's what happening here," Averill said regarding the Burnsville incident. "I just think we need to do better. I just think we need to do better as a community, acknowledging domestic violence is a real thing. It's happening to people that we care about. It's happening right next door. We need to just be aware of it and do what we can to do our part."
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
