Burnsville man, 49, sentenced to life in prison in fatal stabbing of his children's mother

A Burnsville, Minnesota, man has been sentenced to life in prison in the fatal stabbing of the mother of his children last year, according to court records.

A judge sentenced Jason Philip Filas, 49, on Monday. The sentencing document did not say whether he will be eligible for parole. Filas was initially charged in May 2025 with second-degree murder in the stabbing that left 32-year-old Danielle Grace Warren dead, court records show. Five months later, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder.

According to court records, Filas entered a norgaard plea to one count of first-degree murder earlier this month, which means he admits to the crime and acknowledges he is not innocent, but does not remember the incident. The other two charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

A criminal complaint said Burnsville police officers responded to the 2000 block of 117th Street East during the morning of May 7, 2025, for a report of domestic violence. They found Warren surrounded by a large amount of blood and a kitchen knife in the hallway and with apparent stab and slashing wounds.

Warren died at the scene, the complaint said. Her two young children, who were 5 months and 9 months old at the time, were inside the home during the incident.

The 911 caller told police that Warren called them, scared that Filas had seen another man leaving her home that morning on a security camera. During a second phone call, Warren yelled, "He has a knife! Call 911! Call 911!" before the call disconnected, according to the complaint.

The caller said she called Warren back and Filas answered the phone, saying, "She should have never cheated on me. You better call 911," the complaint said.

In an interview with police, the caller said Filas had been angry with Warren and followed her to a store because he believed she was cheating on him, court documents said.

Court records show Filas was also charged with domestic assault in March 2025 for an incident involving him and Warren.

For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.