Charges: Levi Axtell murders 77-year-old with shovel, antlers
GRAND MARAIS, Minn. -- A 27-year-old man from Grand Marais has been charged with second-degree murder in a 77-year-old's death by blunt force head injuries.
The incident happened Wednesday afternoon just before 5 p.m. Cook County Sheriff's deputies responded to a home on East 5th Street in Grand Marais. A witness told police that they'd seen a white Dodge Caravan pull into the victim's home, crash into a vehicle, before the driver then ran into the house.
The witness told police they heard screaming from inside. The witness said that, about a minute later and while they were still on the phone with authorities, the driver got back into the vehicle and drove toward the law enforcement center.
There, the driver -- covered in blood -- told police he'd murdered the 77-year-old.
According to the complaint, the victim died as a result of being beaten. Investigators said that he sustained major head trauma, and was "obviously dead" on the scene.
The driver, identified as Levi Axtell, claimed to have struck the victim with a spade-style shovel from 15 to 20 times, and then "finished him off" with a large moose antler.
Axtell told police he believed the victim was a sex offender, and wanted to prevent him from potentially re-offending.
A bail hearing was held Friday. If convicted, Axtell faces 40 years in prison.
