Man accused of stabbing Richfield couple rejects plea deal

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Man accused of stabbing Richfield couple rejects plea deal

Updated: September 14, 2012 - 7:56 PM

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A man accused of killing a Richfield man and stabbing his wife rejected a plea agreement Friday and could go on trial next month.

Leon Henry Anderson, 24, of Minneapolis had done odd jobs for Richard Webb, 79, and Toni Gail Jackson-Webb, 62, before allegedly stabbing the couple in February, killing him and cutting her throat. She lay on the floor of the house for three days before a relative stopped by and called police.

Investigators said then that Anderson, who is related to a co-worker of Jackson-Webb's, stole a wallet and the couple's 2008 Cadillac, which police later found with blood on the gas pedal, in the driver's foot well and on the driver's door handle.

Anderson was charged in March with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. On Friday, he rejected an offer to plead guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, which would have carried two consecutive sentences totaling up to 45 years in jail.

Defense attorney Paula Brummel said Anderson would have considered the offer if it was "less ominous."

KELLY SMITH