His name was Ellis Eugene Savenok. He died Saturday. His age: "minutes."

The Hennepin County medical examiner's office released further details Wednesday into the deaths of Lyubov "Lyuba" Savenok and the boy she was pregnant with.

Her husband, Yevgeniy Savenok, 30, was charged Tuesday with repeatedly stabbing her Saturday morning in the family's Eden Prairie home. He faces one count of first-degree murder for each death.

He made his first appearance Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court and remains jailed in lieu of $5 million bail.

The defendant's father and brother were in court for the brief appearance. The father wiped away tears, while his son offered comfort.

Authorities said they want to take away Yevgeniy Savenok's parental rights. Lyuba Savenok was mother to his son, 4-year-old Matthew, and his daughter, 3-year-old Vivienne.

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
The scene where a 23-year-old female was stabbed and transported to HCMC where she was pronounced dead Saturday, May 14, 2016, in Eden Prairie, MN. A 30 year-old suspect later turned himself in to the St. Paul police department.

The defendant's attorney, Marsh Halberg, called the circumstances "heart wrenching" and said the man's close family members who traveled to the Twin Cities from northern Illinois are in "disbelief."

"All sides of this case are grieving right now," Halberg said.

The killings brought to a sudden end what authorities said was a "turbulent" marriage that for years was dogged by domestic violence. A court order for protection, filed in DuPage County, Ill., was in force at the time of the stabbing. The couple had once lived there.

While the medical examiner's office on Wednesday confirmed the identities of the 23-year-old mother and the child she had been carrying for 26 weeks, it also revealed a bit more about the morning when Ellis was born — and died.

In its standard news release, where ages are typically listed in number of years, the medical examiner noted that Ellis' age was "minutes" at the time of death and that he died after being born prematurely during an emergency Caesarean section.

Funeral services for Lyuba Savenok are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, said her brother Aleks Katane. There is no word yet on services for Ellis.

pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482

karen.zamora@startribune.com • 612-673-4647